I recently had a very informative conversation with Rusty Satterwhite, the spokesman for the Twin Falls area TEARS of the Patriots. For those that don’t know, the TEARS (Traditional Earnest Americans for Responsible Service) of the Patriots is a local non-partisan Tea Party group that is open to anyone who is worried that our Republic is in serious trouble, and would like to start the rebuilding and repair process at a local level.
I asked Mr. Satterwhite to answer some questions.
Question 1: I don’t think very many people understand the Tea Party groups…Explain in a few sentences WHAT the Tea Party movement is exactly.
Answer: Mainly, we are interested in educating people on the restoration of their authority and power…and to help them understand both their responsibilities and their duties as a voter. We are also interested in holding our leaders accountable for their actions and voting records.
The Tea Party Platform is pretty simple:
* Small, limited government based upon the Constitution
* Political and Economical Accountability
* Limited spending resulting in limited taxation
* Honesty and personal honor in politicians
Question 2: What got you personally involved?
Answer: A few years ago, I was a Bush supporter, and more and more, I started feeling like a stooge. I started doing some research and read the Federalist Papers. A particular passage struck a chord with me…”Administrations change, but power stays”. I realized that the two-party system was flawed in that respect. If you give the government that you are supporting the power to do something TODAY, the next administration can use that power against you TOMORROW.
You should understand that the Founding Fathers divided the country up into precincts designed for “bottom-up” control….hence the term “decentralized.” They purposefully used the term Federal Government for a reason – that the people, through the states, delegated power and authority from the people to the government. Currently, we use the term National Government, which implies the government has the power, as it governs the nation. This goes directly against the intent of the Founders. Take a look at the RNC or the DNC – they both act as if they are leaders to be followed, rather than listening and taking direction from their members.
Question 3: The Republicans are “glomming” on to the Tea Party’s platform lately. What is it about Republicans that doesn’t quite fit right into the Tea Party platform?
Answer: Most Republican politicians are still “statists” and simply take direction from their leaders in Washington DC. The Republican Party voters have a tendency to “rubber-stamp” whatever their elected politicians vote for. Many of them are very politically uneducated followers that just support anyone with an “R” behind their name. What they don’t understand about the Tea Party movement is that we are becoming more and more educated about the Constitution and the proper role of government.
Question 4: The National Democrats have really objected to the Tea Party events. Why do you think that is…and what are local Democrats telling you?
Answer: I think that the Democrats distaste comes from not being able to put labels on the Tea Party. Historically, Democrats have had a tendency to break everyone down into small groups – whereas the Tea Party is just one big group. Democrats and Republicans are just about big money and big business. The Tea Party is about working class men and women working on the common goal of removing the centralized power that has accumulated in Washington.
As far as local Democrats expressing any interest – none have. My guess is that they jumped on the national bandwagon of demeaning and trashing the Tea Party – before they even bothered to look into their local chapter. The national Democrats took the distasteful and most cowardice road possible by claiming the Tea Partiers were “racists”…in a lifetime you can never disprove such a statement after it is made. It was their shortcut way to simply avoid a true debate of the issues.
Question 5: Many “experts” believe that for a 3rd Party it is impossible to win a National Election. Do you agree and what can be done to change this perception?
Answer: I believe that someday a 3rd Party could win a National Election…but not right now with existing laws. Each state has roadblocks in place – put there by the two-party system – some even prevent 3rd parties from having a primary election: Idaho is one of them. Every state will need to build a 3rd party from the ground up…it could take 15 to 20 years of constant adaptation of the current laws.
Question 6: My personal belief is that ANY national elected political position (Congress, Senate) should have Term Limits that do not exceed the President’s term limits – but even shorter would be preferable – What are your thoughts ??
Answer: Term limits are an absolute necessity. One serious problem right now are lifetime politicians that don’t understand business or budgeting – there is no way they can lead the free market or the free world. Those who don’t want term limits will argue that the politicians get better at their jobs over time. I don’t agree – I think they just learn how to “game-the-system”. Their true goals simply get watered-down due to back room deal making.
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