Sacramento Tea Party
(Friday August 28, 2009)
Cheryl and Sue rode in one of the Tea Party buses to the Capitol building in Sacramento. They joined the large crowd in Sacramento. People from all walks of life and political persuasion sharing their concerns about the destructive course our government is taking. There are those who disagree, but as one person put it, "...that's what democracy is all about."
My experience in grammar school taught me that there are bullies who pick on weaker individuals. Many witnessing this repulsive behavior don't say or do anything because they're either afraid, don't want to get involved, or be unpopular. If no one steps up to the plate, the bully gets worse. Often others join him. Their gang is now in a position to terrorize the community. As a kid I made it my job to teach the bully a lesson, and that's all that was needed to make things better for everybody. I liked the movie "Pay It Forward" for what that brave little boy tried to do. This is what the Tea Party is all about. What good is it to send our young men to other countries to fight wars for freedom, while back home our government representatives are undermining the very freedoms they swear a Constitutional oath to uphold? The basic freedoms of the people they're elected to represent. The Tea Party is a way to get our government's attention to stop beating up the people who produce everything America needs.
Fields lie fallow, and once thriving orchards are dry and dead. After generations on the land, many families are losing their farms. In some areas unemployment exceeds 40%. All this to protect a "minnow." Our government of, by and for the people is putting fish before families. Think back to when the endangered kangaroo rat was more important than farmers, and a fire-safe environment for people's homes.
Industries from mining, construction, transportation, ranching, and farming to making concrete are suffering under burdens placed on them by unaccountable bureaucrats and arrogant politicians ruining California's once world class economy.
The CHP directed the trucks to the inside lane so they could circle the Capitol building during the Party. The regular traffic was given the outside lane.
I work hard for my doggie bones.
Representative Tom McClintock shares some history and common sense values during his speech, and a handshake with Cheryl afterwards.
In the mountains, family owned timber operations, working and managing our forests for generations, are being forced into bankruptcy by the state. The government has made their equipment illegal, and regulations are so onerous that it now costs 30% more to bring a standard 2x4 to market in California than it does in Oregon or Washington. Even the large timber companies struggle to survive. In a state rich with timber resources, we import the vast majority of our building materials from other states and countries, because the cost of local production is simply too high due to severe over regulation. The costs have to be passed on to the consumer. How much can we afford?
Jeff tells it the way it is...Why did he have to buy a new tractor for $70,000 more, when the one he had did the job?
I feel that the purpose of the Tea Party is for people from different walks of life to be able to share what's been happening to us for the past fifty years. The small businesses that were once the backbone of America's economy are having a tough time surviving because of unreasonable government regulation, fees and taxes. One by one....they go bankrupt, or leave their state...taking with them the revenue that the government depends upon, until it also goes bankrupt. The only revolution I support is the one where people start "thinking for themselves" and realize and appreciate the moral standards of goodness that once made America a beacon of light for the rest of the world. An excellent example of changing one's thinking was what happened in California when voters recalled former Governor Davis (but not his Legislature) for bankrupting the State. They elected a new Governor to straighten up the mess. The labor unions spent around $200 million on television ads to defeat what the new Governor wanted to do to fix the mess. The Legislature and people laughed, and trumpeted that "we sure taught him a lesson." Life went on as usual, and the State's financial troubles worsened. Consequently, during the last election, the voters no longer trusted their government and rejected all the tax and spend schemes the Legislature came up with to fix the State's financial crisis. This encouraged Governor Schwarzenegger to stand up to the Legislature to do their job. Once again he commented "The people have spoken." This time the people seemed to understand the cause, and weren't poking fun and laughing at him anymore.
And Later in Washington D.C.
(Saturday September 12, 2009)
The two photos above show a tiny fraction of over a million people who spontaneously attended the Washington D.C. Tea Party. At the time these photos were taken, around 1:00 p.m., Pennsylvania Avenue was still jammed completely, and the mall was packed from the Capitol Building past the Washington Monument. Click here to see the aerial photo.
Today in D.C. there was a true kinship among these people based on shared values and intellectual understanding of what America is, and how its future is imperiled by big radical government.