Arizona Tea Party Groups Reject Tea Party License Plates

Standing strong on principle and unwilling to compromise their demands for less government, many Tea Party groups in AZ have come out against the State-Sponsored Tea Party license plates in Arizona.

The below piece is from Annette McHugh, our Arizona State Coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots...

Today, a large group of Arizona tea party organizations, including Tea Party Patriots affiliates, jointly rejected a recently passed  bill, SB1402, authorizing the state to issue “Tea Party” license plates and distribute sale proceeds to “Tea Party organizations” by a government appointed and supervised board.  The very foundation of the Tea Party Movement stresses the importance of less government, not more, and we will not compromise this principle to justify requests and acceptance of monies generated by a state governmental agency.

For centuries, our elected leaders have compromised their own principles of law inherent in our U.S. Constitution, and have justified this by rationalizing the greater good is served in the long term. As a result of these compromises, we find ourselves today in economic, social, and national security crises which are the direct result of our governments compromising the very foundational principles of our U.S. Constitution. These very same Constitutional laws and principles are the basis and source of the Tea Party Movement’s very existence. Without committed adherence to these principles, the Tea Party Movement becomes vulnerable to divisiveness, instead of unity, at a time in our nation and state’s history when remaining united and committed to these principles is extremely crucial.

“Arizona’s tea partiers understand, recognize, and fully appreciate that the bill was well-intentioned, but its unintentional consequences has created unneccesary divisiveness among Arizona Tea Parties, and have subjected Arizona Tea Parties to unfounded scrutiny questioning our committment and adherence to the foundational principles of the Tea Party Movement,” said Annette McHugh, Arizona State Coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, an umbrella group to which the majority of the states Tea Party groups belong.  “We want less government, not more, and feel it necessary at this time to distinguish and assert the Arizona Tea Party Patriots Associations’ position is to remain committed to adherence of Tea Party foundational principles, without government involvement.

The Arizona Tea Party Patriots Association with the support of the Tea Party Patriots, asserts opposition, in principle, to government involvement in fundraising for, and oversight of, local tea party organizations or other private entities.  These actions put Tea Parties at great risk of becoming dependent upon government generated funds to promote and educate others of U.S. Constitutional laws and principles, as opposed to being self-reliant upon ourselves to generate money to promote and grow our memberships. Self-reliancy is the basis for Free Markets, another foundational principle of the Tea Party Movement. We remain committed to reigning in government—and oppose its’ expansion in creating another agency, or voluntary Tea Party committee overseen by, and accountable to, the government.

“Tea party organizations across the state were not all consulted about the plates when the initial idea was presented to only a few Tea Party groups. Our local group and members are not behind it. We like the plate but oppose government involvement.” said Vera Anderson, founder and leader of the Daisy Mountain Tea Party Patriots in Anthem.

Tea party members who stand steadfast to the movement’s core principles, do not support the idea that government should be involved in doling out money to local tea party organizations.

“The structure of disbursement of funds raised by this government sponsored venture is vulnerable to self-serving individuals who may be appointed to the state-established Tea Party Committee, in addition to the potential misappropriation of funds to be used for purposes other than what SB1402 designates. These Tea Party license plates have resulted in more government, not less,” said Valerie Roller, representing the Tea Party Patriots of Glendale, AZ.

Tea Party Patriots is a national grassroots coalition with more than 3,300 locally organized chapters and more than 15 million supporters nationwide.  Tea Party Patriots is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting the principles of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government, and free markets.  Visit Tea Party Patriots online at www.TeaPartyPatriots.org.

Way to go Annette! We salute and support the Tea Party Patriots and their affiliates in Arizona!

What is an Interstate Health Care Compact & why they are good?

Here is a good video explaining the 50 State initiative by the Tea Party Patriots and Health Care Compact Alliance to enact Interstate Health Care Compacts at the state levels.  The draft legislation for the Health Care Compact in Ohio is in the final stages and is expected to be introduced in the near future.

Over 27% of Your Workday Goes Towards Taxes

Below is a very useful article and chart to put in perspective exactyly how much of your work day goes towards paying taxes.

From The Tax Foundation --

In 2011, Americans will devote 2 hours and 13 minutes of every eight-hour workday, or over a quarter of their working hours (27.7%), to paying taxes. In a nine-to-five workday, it takes until 11:13 a.m. to earn enough to pay that day's share of taxes at the federal, state and local level.

If we add the federal deficit to the picture—that is, if the federal government were planning to col­lect enough in taxes during 2011 to finance all of its spending—Americans would work until lunchtime, 12:07 p.m., for the government, before keeping any of their earnings for themselves.

The Tax Bite in the Eight-Hour Day, which measures the nation's tax burden in hours and minutes, is an offshoot of the Tax Foundation's annual Tax Freedom Day calculation, which measures the tax burden in months, weeks, and days. These calendar- and clock-based illustrations are a useful way to explain how much the nation as a whole spends on government. Both Tax Freedom Day and the Tax Bite in the Eight-Hour Day illustrate, in similar ways, what portion of their income Americans keep for themselves and what percentage they spend on government.

How Long Do Americans Work for Each Type of Tax?

Figure 1 shows how long the nation must work in the average workday to earn enough to pay each type of tax:

• Individual income taxes require the most work. All but seven states, and some localities, levy an income tax. When these are added to the federal income tax burden, income taxes are projected to amount to an average of 46 minutes of work in an eight-hour workday.
• Social insurance taxes (taxes dedicated to funding social insurance programs such as Social Security and Medicare) require 29 minutes of work.
• Sales and excise taxes require 20 minutes of work.
• Property taxes require 16 minutes of work.
• Corporate income taxes require 16 minutes of work.

Figure 1: How Much of Each Eight-Hour Workday Goes to Paying the Nation's Tax Bills in 2011?

To read the whole article, please click here.

Take Default Off the Table" Support the Full Faith & Credit Act

In speaking loudly but carrying a little stick, Speaker John Boehner and the D.C. establishment are incorrectly predicting armageddon like consequences if the debt ceiling is not raised and we go into default

The threat of default is nothing more than a political ruse for allowing the establishment elite in D.C. to continue spending us into oblivion, where in reality the Full Faith and Credit Act will enable spending cuts to be made while allowing our country to satisfy needed financial obligations -- thus taking the threat of default off the table.

Analysts from DC’s premiere think tanks have come out in support of the principles behind the Full Faith and Credit Act: Heritage here, CATO here, and AEI here.  

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke recently conceded in testimony before the House Budget Committee that the Full Faith and Credit Act would “reduce the risk with the debt limit.”  The Foundry’s full account of Chairman Bernanke’s testimony is here.

From the RSC -- 

Bill introduced to teach Founding Documents in Ohio Schools

Imagine that.... teaching the children in our schools about the Founding Documents of our country -- What a novel idea! 

From WMD --

COLUMBUS—House Majority Whip John Adams (R-Sidney) recently introduced legislation that will incorporate the study of historically significant government documents into the educational curriculum of Ohio students.

Specifically, House Bill 211 will require that the social studies curriculum for elementary and secondary students in grades 4-12 includes the study of the following:

• Declaration of Independence
• Northwest Ordinance
• Constitution of the United States (with emphasis on the Bill of Rights)
• Ohio Constitution

“We can’t expect our children to understand and defend the rights and freedoms the Founding Fathers intended for us—and that many people have died for—if they don’t have an understanding of how these documents led to the system of government we have today,” Adams said. “By giving these young people an understanding of our heritage, we are better preparing them to be active and productive citizens down the road.”

 

The study of these documents has recently been diminished in the standards and curricula developed by the Ohio Department of Education during the previous administration. If passed, the State Board of Education would be required to revise the standards and curricula to include the additional content.

For text of HB 211, click here.

"Deal in the District" Letter to Congressman Steve LaTourette

Below is a copy of the letter submitted to the local district office of Congressman Steve LaTourette as part of the Tea Party Patriots "Deal in the District" initiative....

Congressman Steve LaTourette

10075 Ravenna Rd

Twinsburg, OH  44087

April 28, 2011

Dear Congressman LaTourette,

The undersigned Tea Party groups, on behalf of our members in your district, respectfully submit this letter for your review and timely response.

We are at a critical crossroads in American history. With the lengthy time you have served this district, we are confident you are aware that when elected to serve in a representative republic, you are duty bound to reflect the will of your constituents. 

As you know, a deal was made on April 8th between Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader Harry Reid, and President Obama to continue appropriations for the remainder of fiscal year 2011. You should be aware that this deal fell way short of the expectations of the American people and the constituents in your district. 

It is to our extreme disappointment that your recent votes on the Continuing Resolutions, defunding the NPR, the defunding of the EPA, and continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2011 are not reflective of the will of your constituents.  Collectively, we also find that the talking points from you and the GOP leadership on why you were not able to do the job you pledged to do  - that being $100 Billion in cuts - are completely unacceptable.  That a “Deal” on the continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2011 was deceivingly portrayed to be $38.5 billion in cuts and was proven to only be $352 million in cuts is beyond comprehension and a total affront to the constituents you were sworn to represent in your district.

In all due respect, you were elected to speak for, and on behalf of the constituents in your district. You were not elected to make phantom deals with the establishment in D.C. that will negatively affect the future of our country on our behalf, against our wishes and at the expense of future generations.  With this, we respectfully request that you stand for and with the people you were elected to represent by agreeing to support the following Deal in your District;

• Vote against any tax increases.
• Meet the GOP Pledged $100 Billion in spending cuts – NOT budget cuts.
• Stand against raising the Debt Ceiling in any way, shape or form.
• Support the Full Faith and Credit Act to assure our obligations are paid.
• Support all votes to de-fund in its’ entirety or portion thereof Obamcare
• Vote NO on any budget bill proposed after May 1, 2011 that does not make at least $1 trillion in spending cuts.

Congressman LaTourette, we are asking, will you listen to the people you represent and support this deal in your district?

As your response will be made public, and in the interest of brevity, clarity and accuracy, please respond by May 6, 2011 to each individual item with an affirmative or negative answer followed by an explanation of your position if you wish. 

In closing, we want to thank you for your time and giving our letter your prompt and undivided attention. We look forward to your timely and written response.

Thank You,

Arzella Melnyk                                              Tom Zawistowski

Coordinator                                                   Executive Director

Geauga/Lake Tea Party Patriots                     Portage County Tea Party

Mike Petruziello                                             Jean C. Coe

President                                                        Organizer

Geauga County Tea Party                               Geauga 9.12 Patriots

Ralph King                                                     Diana Price

State Co-Coordinator (OH)                             Coordinator

Tea Party Patriots                                         Cleveland 9.12 Group

Ohio " We the People" Convention

We the People Convention, Inc.

4682 State Route 43 • Kent, Ohio • 44240 • 866-427-9257

For Immediate Release: April 12, 2011


WE THE PEOPLE CONVENTION SET FOR JULY 1-2 IN COLUMBUS

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The first-annual “We the People Convention” – a gathering of citizens interested in participating in the governing process as provided by the Ohio and US Constitutions  – will be held in Columbus, Ohio on July 1-2, 2011 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and will feature nationally known political analyst Dick Morris as a keynote speaker. Candidates who declare their intention to run for President of the United States in 2012 will also be invited and expected to attend the two-day event.

“Our mission statement is clear. The purpose of this statewide convention shall be to recruit, educate, and motivate Ohio citizens at the grassroots level to perform their constitutionally defined role in the governance of their townships, municipalities, and counties, as well as in our state and nation, by providing opportunities, knowledge, and training to ensure limited constitutional governance,” said Tom Zawistowski, president of We the People Convention, Inc.

The convention was announced today in a press conference at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. We the People Convention, Inc., is a state registered 501(c) 4 non-profit educational corporation based in Columbus. Zawistowski also announced the formation of a new State Political Action Committee (PAC) called the Ohio Citizens PAC which will host two dinners around the convention to raise money for Patriot groups around the state. The PAC dinner on Friday, July 1, 2011 will feature Morris, while the dinner on Saturday night, July 2, 2011 is expected to feature presidential candidates. 

Zawistowski added, “Our goal is to educate citizens about the political process and the effects of that process on governance. For many of us in the Patriot Movement, it is clear that we have the government we have because we have not fully participated in the political process as is provided by the Ohio and U.S. Constitutions. If we are not happy with the government we have, it is up to “We the People” to change the direction of government through our participation. However, based on recent experience, we have found that regular citizens have not been able to exercise their rights effectively primarily due to a lack of understanding of how things work. The goal of this convention is to rectify that situation.”

“We expect to attract, conservative citizens from all parts of the political spectrum.  Some will be members and leaders of TEA Party and 912 groups, others will be devotees of tax reform, gun rights, states rights and other conservative issues.”

The We the People Convention will consist of two days of educational breakout sessions, interspersed with major national figures speaking at luncheons and at two evening dinners being hosted by the Ohio Citizens PAC on Friday and Saturday night of the Convention.  Additional speakers will be announced as they are contracted. The website for the Convention is located at www.WethePeopleConvention.org. 

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