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Tea Party on Government Reform
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Get state legislative "voice votes" on the record
When the old guard resisted change, I went to the people to make their voices heard. It turned out that all along, those people were the Tea Party. We hadn't formally found each other yet--they didn't even call themselves the Tea Party at the time--but
they were the citizens who called the radio talk shows, wrote letters to the editor, and blasted e-mails to their friends & family to bring about change. Over time they would become my greatest friends and biggest supporters.When I introduced my bill
to get votes on the record, it was immediately and instinctively embraced by the Tea Party. As they got the word out, Democrats began to call me and ask to have their names put on the bill. Then Republicans did as well. The bill took on a life of its
own. People across the state were calling their legislators to see if they supported the bill. I had legislators coming up to me in a panic saying, "Make sure my name is on the bill!" I fought alongside the Tea Party to get votes on the record.
Source: Can't Is Not an Option, by Gov. Nikki Haley, p. 72
, Apr 3, 2012
We're gaining control of DC, but just getting started
During the debt ceiling debate, the media and liberal pundits began to wonder if the Tea Party was now in control of Washington. If only this were true.Last year's ceiling debate in which so many critics said the Tea Party was now "running"
Washington--well, that was only the beginning. It should be a surprise to no one that Washington remains stubbornly resistant to change. Despite much crowing about the "extremism" of Republican freshmen, conservatives haven't changed anything yet.
But we are getting started.
At best, our current policies are merely slowing down our fast-approaching default. We are borrowing $40,000 per second. Entitlements and interest will consume the entire budget within a decade. The debt ceiling deal
set spending caps that increase every year. My understanding of "cutting" spending is that you would spend less next year than you spent this year. Yet the debt ceiling caps still rise each year, revealing the lie that spending will be cut.
Source: Now Or Never, by Sen. Jim DeMint, p. xv-xvi
, Jan 10, 2012
Restore constitutionally-limited government
A tour of Tea Party websites around the country quickly reveals widespread determination to restore 21st century US government to the Constitutional principles articulated by the 18th century Founding Fathers. In Nebraska, the Crawford Tea Party
describes itself simply as "a group of concerned citizens who desire to see a restoration of Constitutional government." Tea Party groups across America link their present-day activities to a constantly restated reverence for the country's founding
documents: the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence.Constitutional reverence is not just in cyberspace. The US founding documents are woven into the warp and woof of Tea Party routines. Pocket-sized versions of the
Constitution appear on merchandise tables at Tea Party meetings. "Constitution talk" bubbles through discussions in Tea Party gatherings. "Smaller government, the Constitution, and personal responsibility" are the Tea Party's core principles.
Source: The Remaking of Republican Conservatism, p. 48-49
, Jan 2, 2012
Insist on legislators actually reading bills before voting
Tea Party people do not defer to experts. Again and again, we heard Tea Partiers express derision about legislators who vote without reading every page and word in proposed legislation, as well as about federal officials who discuss measures they had not
read. When asked if it was reasonable for a busy public figure to entrust the reading of a legal document to lawyers on his staff, we were told in no uncertain terms that this approach is inadequate. Without having read a document personally, Tea
Partiers feel that a citizen or official cannot be sure of what it contains.Tea Party skepticism about experts is part and parcel of their direct approach to democracy, their belief in citizen activism. To guard against possible bamboozlement, Tea
Party members arm themselves for confrontations with their Representatives by reading particular bills themselves. For Tea Party activists, any hint that a legislator or expert has not personally read every line of a bill is a damning indictment.
Source: The Remaking of Republican Conservatism, p. 53-54
, Jan 2, 2012
Tea Party supports G.O.P.: Government Of the People
[The Tea Party has] a lot for "against." So what were we FOR? What constituted our positive vision of limited government? We were for lower taxes. We were for individuals making their own healthcare decisions. We were for freedom to reduce unemployment
by not taxing job-creating businesspeople. We were for a constitutional vision of personal liberty. We were for standing up for our treasured allies. In other words, we needed GOP--Government Of the People. The American people are always the solution.
Source: Core of Conviction, by Michele Bachmann, p.185-186
, Nov 21, 2011
Invoke Boston Tea Party's anger against establishment
It is not enough to be fed up. We must act.thousands of patriotic Americans have taken to the streets in protest--invoking the historic Boston Tea Party in the process. They are running for office and swarming the voting booths, sending shock waves
from MA to HI. Their anger is directed against the establishment--that lumbering mass of old-guard politicians who do not understand that there is a quiet revolution taking place. And the shock waves are being felt on both sides of the political aisle.
Source: Fed Up!, by Gov. Rick Perry, p. 15-16
, Nov 15, 2010
Pressure Congress for moratorium on pork
Earmarks represent the wasteful spending that has most caught public interest of late and for good reason. While earmarks have been prevalent since the 16th Amendment opened the spigots of cash for Congress, they have never been as out of control as they
are today. Why do we care about $29 billion in earmarks when our national deficit this year will be around $1.5 trillion? Because earmarks corrupt the process and divert attention from the real task of governing and oversight.
A modest 1-year
moratorium on earmarks, proposed in 2008, was defeated 29-71. However, due to pressure from the Tea Party movement and an extremely frustrated American public, the idea of a moratorium remains alive, and at least the House GOP voted as a conference in
Mar. 2010 to adopt a moratorium. What legislators should do is adopt a moratorium on pork until the budget is actually balanced, but don't hold your breath. In fact, the GOP failed to mention earmarks in its "agenda" document released in the fall of 2010
Source: Fed Up!, by Gov. Rick Perry, p. 64-65
, Nov 15, 2010
Moratorium on all earmarks until budget is balanced
The Contract from America: - Stop the Pork:Place a moratorium on all earmarks until the budget is balanced, and then require a 2/3 majority to pass any earmark.
- Demand a Balanced Budget:
Begin the constitutional amendment process to require a balanced budget with a 2/3 majority needed for any tax hike.
Source: Give Us Liberty, by Rep. Dick Armey, p.156-158
, Aug 17, 2010
Permanently repeal capital gains & death taxes
The Contract from America: - Enact fundamental tax reform:Adopt a simple and fair single-rate tax system by scrapping the internal revenue code and replacing it with one that is no longer than 4,543 words--the length of the original
Constitution.
- Stop the Tax Hikes:Permanently repeal all tax hikes, including those to the income, capital gains, and death taxes, currently scheduled to begin in 2011.
Source: Give Us Liberty, by Rep. Dick Armey, p.157-158
, Aug 17, 2010
Not about right-versus-left, but about big-versus-small
What is sending cold chills down the collective spine of the Washington political establishment is the now undeniable fact that the principle of limited government and fiscal responsibility have unprecedented political standing with the
American electorate. There will be political consequences and those politicians out of step are losing their jobs.Perhaps what challenges the movement's many critics is the fact that Tea Party does not buy into the traditional Left vs. Right debate.
It is better framed as "big vs. small." It is a fundamental debate about the size and scope of government. Triggered by bailouts of irresponsible behavior on Wall Street, the Tea Party movement is first and foremost about fiscal responsibility--something
that the political establishment across the Left-Right spectrum has failed to deliver. Trillion-dollar deficits and stimulus packages that only stimulate more deficit spending do not pass the commonsense test of kitchen-table economics.
Source: Give Us Liberty, by Rep. Dick Armey, p. 88-89
, Aug 17, 2010
Page last updated: Apr 28, 2013
