WHY the Tea Party Movement is Important to us.

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Why the Tea Party Movement is important to us   By Eric Odom

“Politicians aren’t going to listen. You aren’t going to magically change Congress. Taxes won’t instantaneously vanish. You only had 1,500 in St Louis on February 27th…”
Yeah, we’ve heard them all. In fact, as I write this, Amy Kremer (National Events Coordinator for TaxDayTeaParty.com) and our volunteer team are all neck deep in e-mails. I was just told that our general info e-mail account has 430 unanswered e-mails that we haven’t been able to get to yet.
Believe me when I say… we’ve heard them all. The negative tone comes from all sides of the political spectrum. Some lash out at the Tea Party Movement because they want it to fail, some because they envy the true grassroots nature and wish it was something they could control or take credit for, others just make these sorts of comments with malice in mind.
But the reality is that these comments are all completely missing the point. The Tea Party Movement is merely a step in the right direction in the war against tyranny and socialism. Those of us working at the National level are under no delusion that we’re going to change the world on April 15th. To assume we believe such would be borderline absurd.
We do, however, understand that the original Boston Tea Party Protest only had a few hundred participants and set the movement on a path to ultimate victory against the King of England. We understand that it wasn’t “A-Listers” or “Top Shelf Speakers”. It wasn’t the usual “leaders” or well known faces. It was, instead, every day business owners and taxpayers who quietly met in pubs, taking the opportunity to network and contemplate collaborative strategy.
On April 15th, hundreds of thousands of Americans will gather in more than 360 cities across all 50 states to proclaim their lack of confidence in our Government. We the people will shake hands, network, share ideas, discuss our frustrations, let some steam out, and begin to develop new coalitions and citizen groups. 
April 15th will be Historic in nature not because we instantly changed the world, but because we set in motion a machine that will counter out of control Government and eventually put it back in the hands of the people.
If you’re one of those who likes to sit around and ask “what good does it do to go to a silly tax day teaparty?”, we would like to follow that up with a question to you…
What good are you doing by staying home? 
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 10:49 pm and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. 

29 Responses to “Why the Tea Party Movement is important to us”

 Mike Thayer Says: 
March 31st, 2009 at 11:35 pm 
Sent my envelope full of tea bag tags and strings to the White House this morning.
Got the idea from ZapTheIRS another grassroots movement hoping to end the idiotic practice of having the tax code used for social engineering.
 John Bishop Says: 
March 31st, 2009 at 11:51 pm 
It give us a voice that our government officials can’t ignore, although they may try. We will prevail.
 Bill Prybell Says: 
April 1st, 2009 at 6:41 am 
I was at the first one and will be there April 15th. We have to stand together because our present government isn’t doing anything but taking our money and giving it to the have nots .
 Janet Marion Says: 
April 1st, 2009 at 7:24 am 
If you want to make change - don’t just sit there! Go to a Tea Party, then go Galt (updated for 2009).
 Mollie Mihalik Says: 
April 1st, 2009 at 7:57 am 
It feels wonderful to come together with like minded others. I sincerely hope that it doesn’t end with April 15th, but grows to something much larger so we can really make a difference in theis country.
 Liz Says: 
April 1st, 2009 at 10:47 am 
It’s what I can do outside the voting booth. I know that there are those in government who don’t care and are not going to be stopped by our tea parties, but I need to show my children that this country is worth fighting for.
 Linda O'Keefe Says: 
April 1st, 2009 at 10:55 am 
Eric-great insight! So often we sit around and criticize the efforts of others when we have done so little or nothing. It is time for everybody to pay attention! We are forcing the issues. We are showing our leaders that we care!
Our eyes are wide open to the current events of the world and our voices will be heard!
 Dutch Walz Says: 
April 1st, 2009 at 11:39 am 
Yep! Nothing scares politicians more than a real grass-roots movement. They all freaked in 2007 over the grass-roots opposition to the Amnesty Act. They fear that this will be just the same!
Our Nation was founded by people who absolutely HATED taxes! We need to rediscover that inner Founding Father in each of us!
Toss the Tea!
 Patti Cummings Says: 
April 1st, 2009 at 11:51 am 
I have been recruiting Dems and Repubs. They’re both mad. All the negative talk is from people that are scared that it WILL work. I’m not staying home. Got ideas for my signs and my clothes.
 Robohobo Says: 
April 1st, 2009 at 8:02 pm 
ThreeBeersLater says to mail a blank form 1040 to the IRS with the words “I Forgot” scrawled across it. BTW, do not include your return address.
I’m going to.
 Robohobo Says: 
April 1st, 2009 at 8:02 pm 
Oh, and do file your taxes legally.
 cindi Says: 
April 1st, 2009 at 10:07 pm 
my daughter works for the IRS. Harassing the minimum wage workers won’t make a difference, it’s the ‘dream team’ in washington that matters. They set the system up and make the tax schedules what they are, a complete socialistic mess. Instead of sending the ‘I forgots’ to the IRS, send them to your representatives and put your name and address on them. Intimidate them.
 ErikZ Says: 
April 2nd, 2009 at 8:08 am 
You’re right. Wherever we end up, the Tea Party protests are a required first step.
Virtually all the Nay-sayers are missing the point at this time.
Action Alert: Freedom Friday Tea Party, Suffolk « Gathering of Eagles: NY Says: 
April 2nd, 2009 at 8:44 am 
[...] Read: Why the Tea Party Movement is important to us. [...]
 dj Says: 
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:52 am 
Dear Congress Critter,
Please forgive all my legislated debt for the foreseeable future until I gain nomination to office in a future administration. Like was done for Tim Geithner, Tom Daschle, Rahm Emanuel, Solis, Kirk and Killefer and many other great leaders in our Government.
Enclosed is my 1040 along with the accepted rationale “I FORGOT”.
Feel free to use as a template.
 Subotai Bahadur Says: 
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:58 am 
1) I and my family will be there April 15. 2) This has import, as one of the last possible attempts to reform our government peacefully. We have no real hope of changing things in elections. Between gerrymandering, vote and registration fraud, a refusal of any level of government to enforce election laws on the Left, and blatant fraud by Democrat officials in counting the votes; no one to the left of Ted Kennedy is going to win an election in anything other than a hard core conservative stronghold. Right now, regardless of party, the people fear the government and the government has no fear of the people. The only choices we have are to induce fear in those who rule us, submit, or fight. With the Constitution functionally suspended [ex post facto laws, bills of attainder, civilian conscription for political purposes, the president firing civilian businessmen without any statutory authority, demands by the administration of the right to seize any business, and bills to have the government set the wages and salaries of EVERY employee of ANY firm that accepts ANY government funds] since January 20, our options are limited. I suspect that most of us are not all that much into submission for ourselves or our children. 
Given that the media refuses to cover us anyway, I suspect that it would be more effective doing this outside Congressional offices whenever possible. But I will be there on whatever ground is chosen.
Subotai Bahadur
 Subotai Bahadur Says: 
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:00 am 
Correction to above. Not enough coffee this morning. “No one to the RIGHT of Ted Kennedy”. Sorry about that.
Subotai Bahadur
 Constitution First Says: 
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:03 am 
New Hampshire Governor Jean Shaheen got her tea this morning, and called a full blown Haz-Mat response team in. I guess that’s one way to get the Dead-Media to cover this movement.
 Todd Says: 
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:23 am 
“Politicians aren’t going to listen. You aren’t going to magically change Congress. Taxes won’t instantaneously vanish. You only had 1,500 in St Louis on February 27th…”
Even the longest journey begins with a single step.
 Lb Philly Says: 
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:25 am 
I plan to attend, and I also plan to send teabags to selected administration officials and my senators and congressman.
I doubt that any of those folks will be publicizing the heap of tea bags they get.
Is there anyone to whom we could send a “record copy,” who would be inclined to publicize the number of teabags received? Jeff Flake, perhaps?
 MysteriousTraveller Says: 
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:49 am 
Anybody thinking of sending Jon Kyl and Blanche Lincoln teabags?
At a time of soaring deficits and growing needs, the Senate is weighing whether the wealthiest of wealthy Americans should get a tax break worth some $250 billion over 10 years. The Senate today could take up an amendment to the budget resolution proposed by Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) that would shield the first $10 million of estates from taxation and lower to 35 percent the tax on amounts beyond that. This would have been outrageous even before the current economic and fiscal mess. Now it is outrageous and nonsensical. Senators should not be fooled by estimates that understate the true cost of this tax cut or promises that it will be paid for somehow. Any senator considering voting for this amendment should ask him or herself: Even if that were true, aren’t there better uses of hundreds of billions of dollars than reducing taxes even further for the tiny sliver of Americans subject to the estate tax?
Under the “throw Mama from the train” design of the Bush tax cuts, the estate tax is scheduled to disappear in 2010, only to be resurrected the following year at its 2001 level, when it applied only to estates worth over $2 million per couple at a rate of 55 percent. In fact, no one expects it to return to that level — although letting it do so would be a far more rational response to the current crisis than the Lincoln-Kyl approach. Rather, President Obama has proposed holding the tax at this year’s level: an exemption of $7 million per couple, with a 45 percent rate for amounts beyond that; this would cost $484 billion over 10 years. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) has endorsed this solution, with indexing for inflation. This would hardly be punitive. At that level, 99.76 percent of estates would incur no tax whatsoever. Those who owe would pay, on average, $2.25 million less than they would have paid at the 2001 exemption level. Why in the world should these folks get more of a tax cut?
The hypocrisy here is breathtaking. Reducing the estate tax would harm charities because it eliminates some of the incentive for making charitable bequests — yet some of the very senators who back estate tax cuts were quick to denounce Obama administration tax proposals that they argued would hurt charitable giving. More fundamentally, it is hard to stomach those who argue for more tax cuts — and then bemoan the failure to stanch rising deficits. A vote for this amendment, at this time of so much red ink and so much suffering, would reflect the most skewed of priorities.
 d. guston Says: 
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:02 pm 
My frustration with your movement, is why now, and why weren’t you protesting the same growth of governement and ridiculous spending under Bush ( largest goverment growth under Bush in 30 years, remember his 700 billion - no rule bailout!!! -not to mention cost of wars, corporate coruption etc, etc, etc…) And don’t cry democrats in congress - the republicans had the majority until the last 2 years, and these troubles were not created in the last two years…You should have been fighting this fight long ago, by only starting it now it seems partisan and without the same merit if it had been started before Obama took office- because the problems started long before he took office, and Bush was trying some of the same tactics Obama is to clean up his (Bush’s) own disaster…let’s give credit where credit is due…Bush created this mess, with the love and ongoing support of the Republican party!
 doc Says: 
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:46 pm 
d.guston, you are partially correct. It was not the support of the Republican party but the support of the country club Republican party. We were just as mad and ashamed of Bush for the first bailout. What you Liberals fail to understand is that though the media reported Bush as a ultra Conservative… he was just to the right of Clinton. His domestic policy was a liberal mess, opposed by Conservatives. You are right… HE STARTED IT! What is beyond your comprehension is that Obama has like tripled it it what… 90 days? See why we’re freaking out? I realize that you want to make it a Dem/Rep problem but it’s really a politician/people thing. I say we kick them all out and start over with a 1 term limit. The less that they get done the better. I’ve heard a lot of the country clubbers/politicians nay saying over the tea party. The reason is that they are all in bed together. It’s all about power over us.
Who’s Going to A Tax Day Tea Party? « Nice Deb Says: 
April 2nd, 2009 at 1:00 pm 
[...] Why the tea party movement is important: The Tea Party Movement is merely a step in the right direction in the war against tyranny and socialism. Those of us working at the National level are under no delusion that we’re going to change the world on April 15th. To assume we believe such would be borderline absurd. [...]
 RR Ryan Says: 
April 2nd, 2009 at 1:41 pm 
The estate tax thing is something of a red herring. Anyone with enough money to worry about and hasn’t put it in a trust is an idiot.
Nightly Ramble:The “All this and a cookie, too” Edition | BitsBlog Says: 
April 2nd, 2009 at 2:04 pm 
[...] Mmmmpfhhh. I’m not convinced they can be bought off, in majority.  Sometimes you need to be brought to the edge… to your “Paul on the Damascus Road Moment” (TM).  I agree, they bought into the stuff too willingly over the years. But the numbers an types of people out on the front lines now, tells me we’re dealing with a totally different dynamic now… that what’s been going on in the last month or two has given them the shock treatment needed to teach the lessons. For the most part, these are not people who have ever come out on the front lines like this before. We exepect scenes of protest from those supporting socialism in all it’s forms, not those speaking and working against it.  That’s a seed change. Someone that foundationally shaken,  and someone who has gone through such a change will not easily be bought off going forward.  And an odd thing; I’ve got a cup of “Constant Comment” in one had as I dictate this. Tea party indeed. Further thoughts. [...]
 William Says: 
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:04 pm 
Beware of false prophets. You just had 8 years of Bush. Haven’t you learned anything?
Yeah, follow anti-intellectuals like Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck. That’s real bright.
This is not a bi-partisan movement. Nonsense.