Silent No More
Some interesting data.
Massachusetts administrative costs per mile of highway is $74,855. National average? $10,579.
We spend $675,312 per mile on our highways, second only to New Jersey.
National average? $160,202.
Despite spending 5 times the national average, this same report shows Mass. roads and bridges to be among the worst in the U.S.
And they wonder why we don’t want to give them more gas tax dollars.
http://reason.org/files/21st_annual_highway_report.pdf
A National Taxpayers Union Foundation’s analysis of the 113th Congress found that there was not a single member of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation that proposed net spending cuts. . The report provides a comprehensive overview of the net cost of all of the spending and savings bills sponsored or cosponsored by each member of Congress. The NTUF cross-index their database of cost estimates with each bill supported by each member to calculate their net spending agenda (excluding overlapping/duplicate measures).
There were no net budget cutters among Massachusetts’ delegation, spending agendas ranged from increases of $41 billion to over $1 trillion.
Details on the Massachusetts delegation can be found on the NTUF website at http://www.ntu.org/ntuf/bt-state/113-2/massachusetts.html .
A Rasmussen Poll released on Friday found:
These are startling numbers
After 5 years, a majority of the American public have sided with the Tea Party on its primary message. To say that our government is a threat to our rights would be an understatement. It has destroyed those rights.
Last week’s standoff at the Bundy Ranch wasn’t only about cattle and land, it was about a militarized police force threatening private citizens.
The NSA spying story wasn’t about national security. It was about a government that treats its citizens as suspects.
The ACA is not a law that guarantees us health care. It codifies the denial of an individual’s free choice.
The stimulus and bailouts that sparked our movement were not just more government waste and corruption.
They were acts all of aggression against our right to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
When the Tea Party movement started five years ago, we knew we needed to get the American people on our side first. It took five years, and we have suffered defeats, but we can take heart at the new attitude of the American people. Their eyes are open to the evil of big government. This is a major victory for our cause. Now, let’s hold onto this victory and destroy the ideology that sets the state above the individual.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
The Declaration of Independence
We are fast approaching the 5th Anniversary of the first Tax Day Tea Parties. In the spring of 2009, Americans had become deeply suspicious of the institutions that defined our society. The government, large corporations, banks, legislatures, Congress, and political parties had betrayed the American public. We were fed up and decided to let our leaders know that we were mad as hell and we weren’t taking it anymore.
Five years later, we’ve become what is one of the greatest and longest lasting political movements in US history. To many, it is unclear whether our mission will be successful, but many more of us have no doubt that we will eventually free America from the oppression of a bloated government and the crony-capitalists that control it.
We have changed from an angry movement lacking direction into thousands of very effective small groups and individuals doing the daily tasks of restoring liberty. Whether it is aiding a campaign, being a candidate or educating and rallying citizens to an important cause, each action is a step in the right direction. There is one tactic that has not been sufficiently used until recently. It is called “Irish Democracy.”
Professor Glenn Reynolds recently quoted Professor James Scott in USA Today:
Whether it is refusal to sign up for Obamacare, gun owners avoiding registering their guns in Connecticut, willful disobedience of immoral laws or entire states nullifying drug laws, we as citizens are learning to exert authority over their own lives. In this mixed up and confusing political paradigm, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, and even Democrats, are finding common ground with those of us willing to stand opposed to a growing and intrusive tyranny. After 5 years of the Tea Party movement, many Americans are finding the truth in our message, even while they voice hesitancy about us.
Anthony Codevilla, a Research Fellow at The Independent Institute, recently wrote:
We are still learning how to resist their betrayal of our Constitution and our values and we are still learning how to revolt. We are running for office, calling talk radio, writing letters, picketing, voting, and, when we can, withdrawing.
In the words of Professor Reynolds,
The late 20th century showed us many times that peaceful resistance to tyranny is one of the most effective tools available to liberty seekers. It is only one tool of many that we have available, but in this time of crisis, we need to use every tool possible.
Think about opportunities to practice Irish Democracy as we move into the 5th year of the Tea Party movement.
Many Tea Party members are not sure what their role is in the movement. If you are not comfortable with getting involved at the organizational level, there is a simple, effective, and very important role for each of you. You are our messengers. One of the most effective ways to promote the Tea Party message of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and adherence to the Constitution is by writing a letter to the editor. Well written letters supporting our cause can light brushfires in the minds of people who may not fully understand the nature of the challenges facing our country. They also give us an opportunity to show that freeing the individual from the chains of a bloated and oppressive government is the most effective way to raise every American’s liberty and ability to pursue happiness.
What makes a good letter to the editor?
Here are a few pointers for writing an effective letter to the editor:
Some of our members have volunteered to help with proof reading letters and helping you polish your message. They can offer as much or as little help as you need. You can contact them at:Letters@www.worcesterteaparty.com.
You can use the same email address to tell us when your letter is published, so we can let everyone know to comment on it. Be prepared to be ridiculed in the online comments. Don’t respond with the same kind of vile nastiness that they throw at you. If we can get our message out this way we can influence public opinion and ensure that our children will live in culture that values freedom.
One of the speakers at Thursday’s Worcester Tea Party meeting was Nathan Fatal, a recent Political Science grad from the University of Massachusetts. While at U. Mass., Nathan founded the New England Objectivist Society to promote the philosophy of Ayn Rand. In this effort, he connected with liberty activists across Massachusetts and he was a speaker at our 2012 Tax Day Tea Party in Lincoln Square.
On Thursday, Nathan talked to us about his painful experiences as a student dedicated to promoting liberty while living in an academic community blindly committed to a statist
dogma. You can imagine the challenges that confronted him in his efforts to convince his fellow students that individual liberty was preferable to the collectivist ideology that was instilled in them in the classroom. He was frustrated by the futility of his task, but he didn’t give up. He learned.
What Nathan learned is something that the Tea Party movement needs to learn.
Trying to get students to show up at a meeting to talk about Ayn Rand had become a waste of time. Nathan was committed to getting his message out to his fellow students though, so he switched tactics. He started to use Dale Carnegie’s philosophy of “How to Win Friends Influence People”. What Nathan learned was that he needed to relate his message to each individual that he was speaking to. This personal connection allowed his listener to receive Nathan’s message in a completely different light. The responses that he started to receive were much more positive.
Nathan and his coalition of college students are a major reason that liberty will thrive in the United States and around the world. They are part of a cultural wave that will wash away the Progressive ideology that has sickened our society for almost 100 years. Let’s use their wisdom to promote the Tea Party message.
Bashing our opponents with insults does nothing to win the support of our fellow citizens who hover in the center of the political spectrum or who have only been exposed to the toxic agenda of leftist academics. We cannot do this with a negative message. Our message is one of optimism and faith in individual Americans. By being more careful with the words that we choose, we can win more supporters.
Addressing the faults and philosophical ignorance of today’s politicians will only yield a short term victory, because these politicians will be replaced by similar charlatans. We need to destroy the dangerous ideology of these politicians. What we need to win is a cultural change, one where Americans once again value their freedom.
We must strike at the root.
Many Tea Party members are not sure what their role is in the movement. If you are not comfortable with getting involved at the organizational level, there is a simple, effective, and very important role for each of you. You are our messengers. One of the most effective ways to promote the Tea Party message of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and adherence to the Constitution is by writing a letter to the editor. Well written letters supporting our cause can light brushfires in the minds of people who may not fully understand the nature of the challenges facing our country. They also give us an opportunity to show that freeing the individual from the chains of a bloated and oppressive government is the most effective way to raise every American’s liberty and ability to pursue happiness.
What makes a good letter to the editor?
Here are a few pointers for writing an effective letter to the editor:
Some of our members have volunteered to help with proof reading letters and helping you polish your message. They can offer as much or as little help as you need. You can contact them at:Letters@www.worcesterteaparty.com.
You can use the same email address to tell us when your letter is published, so we can let everyone know to comment on it. Be prepared to be ridiculed in the online comments. Don’t respond with the same kind of vile nastiness that they throw at you. If we can get our message out this way we can influence public opinion and ensure that our children will live in culture that values freedom.
Please attend our our January 9th meeting to equip yourself with the knowledge you need to be part of the solution to the issues facing our nation. Come also to enjoy the company of like minded people and the great food at The Canal.
On the agenda:
James Boudreau is a career entrepreneur, consultant and small business owner, and author of the recently released book, “Exporting Prosperity: Why The U.S. Economy May Never Recover”. “The United States has spent a good portion of the past 20 years in or on the brink of economic recession. The Federal Reserve has kept interest rates at almost zero and the Federal Government has spent trillions on so-called “stimulus”, yet the standard of living for the average American continues to decline. Jobs are few and far
between, age discrimination is rife and layoffs abound, yet politicians continue to “distract and deflect” everyone’s focus towards other issues and “kick the can down the road”. Exporting Prosperity explores the statistics that actually drive many aspects of the economy, in sharp contrast to the “feel-good” numbers reported each day.”
Nathan Fatal is a familiar face to many Tea Party members in the Worcester area. Nathan introduced Gov. Gary Johnson at our 2012 Tax Day Rally. He is a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, with a degree in Political Science. He is also founder of the New England Objectivist Society. Nathan will talk to us about how we can attract more young people to our cause.
