Party Time

Andrew Breitbart has an opinion piece over at his Big Government site where he attempts to explain the underpinnings of the Tea Party movement.  It is worth a read.

Summing up his thoughts:

THE TEA PARTY MOVEMENT WANTS AMERICA TO RETURN TO CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES.

I would add to that......rough language ahead.....

   
• Leave me the fuck alone.

And also.....paraphrasing here....

   
• People don't like to be meddled with. The government tells us what to do, what to think, don't run, don't walk. They are in our homes and in our heads and they haven't the right. They're meddlesome.

More on the original text here.

I can hear the rejoinders already.  "That means that you want to do away with the EPA!  You want children and old people to die in the streets!  You want dirty drinking water!"

Um, no.

What I want is clean government.  That means no earmarks.  That means no holding the government hostage until you get a DoD airplane contract for your district.  That means government employees that can account for every dime in their agency's budget.  I am unwilling to accept the status quo on these issues.  I want Congresscritters that fight corruption rather than inviting it regardless of party affiliations.

What I want is Constitutional government.  There are some areas of our life that should be beyond the reach of our imperial federal government.  Education funding and regulation comes quickly to mind.  Perhaps the English language has changed over the last 230+ years, but I can't find the authority to fund and regulate education anywhere in the U.S. Constitution!  Nor can I locate an Amendment that grants that authority!  It must be that the feds are being meddlesome without our permission!

That whole consent of the governed thing is pretty important.

What I want is a government that is on a budget; a balanced budget.  The "Tea" in "Tea Party" stands for Taxed Enough Already.  Ain't it the truth, brother.

If Congress or the President feels the need to create a new program, then fine.  Which existing program are they prepared to cut?  How many federal employees are they going to layoff to pay for their new hair brained scheme?  Are they ready to strong arm the unions representing federal employees to get wage and benefit concessions?

They take too much of my hard earned income as it is.  They have repeatedly demonstrated that they lack the capacity to spend that money wisely.  The only rational solution is to cut the amount of money they have to spend until they can account for how it is spent, the activities they fund prudently accomplish their stated objectives, and those same activities promote the cause of individual liberty.

I am Taxed Enough Already.  They have taken more than I can afford to spend.  The piggy bank has been emptied.  As has been happening in the private sector forever, it is time for our government and our government employees to be down-sized, "right-sized", "bright-sized" and potentially even "capsized" along with the rest of us.

Our government representatives and employees in my local township get it.  We still get the services we need.

Our government representatives and employees in my local school district get it.  We still get the education we need.

Our government representatives and employees in my local county get it.  We still get the services we need.

Our government representatives and employees in Michigan state capitol get it.  We still get the services we need.  "Need".....not "want".  There is a difference.

It's time for our government representatives and employees in Washington D.C. to get it.  Permanently.