Today I attended my first meeting of the local Tea Party group named West Suburban Patriots. I went with an open mind to see what they had to say without any preconceived ideas other than knowing that they were dissatisfied with the direction of our government. I must admit that I shared that feeling of discontent for some time, that is to say through several cycles of Presidents and Congress, regardless of political affiliation.
I found that the speakers at the meeting were not fanatics, but rather that they were very concerned and aware citizens. The speakers, and the 40 or so attendees, honestly felt that bigger government is not the answer to the problems in this country, but, in fact, serve to exacerbate issues which could be resolved in a simpler and far less costly manner.
The function of the Tea Party is neither to support nor to wrest control from either the Democrats or Republicans. It serves to bring awareness to the people that our government is bloated and excessive in it's use of power and spending.
Many of the principles of the Tea Party are founded upon the ideas of Thomas Jefferson who, although he was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States, was vigilant regarding the possibility of corruption of power by government. He even warned that "... All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."
We cannot choose to remain silent while our government takes control over our inalienable rights as citizens, regardless of the motivation or intent. Telling us that government should control health care is a dangerous precedent. It not only takes away our freedom to choose and control our own destiny, it mandates that we do what the government deems best for us. That to me smacks of socialism, and that is not what the founders of this country intended, nor is it what the citizens of this country desire for our future.
