Open Letter to the Tea Party

We must be worthy of the freedom given to us by our Founding Fathers.


As a committee member, participant in the voter registration drive, and videographer for the local Tea Party,
I am disturbed by the number of people who advocate for unconstitutional controls by the government.

I have watched as people who claim too much unconstitutional government involvement in our lives
has caused us all manner of ills, then call out for unconstitutional actions by the government
when it will (they hope) benefit them:

I just seen 2/3 of a Tea Party assembly support Prohibition; despite prohibition failing time and again,
and law enforcement agencies becoming better armed, and our own personal and property rights
being whittled away, time and time again, there are Tea Partiers who think that the government can
somehow stop private citizens from ingesting whatever manner of chemical they desire.

I come from a family with a history of alcoholism and all of it's attendant woes. I lost my father to it
in 1995. I've seen physical and emotional abuse, relationships ruined, and lives destroyed by alcohol.
But not for a moment, do I believe that alcohol should be outlawed.

Do you think that government approval makes a substance safe? Do you think tobacco regulation makes
tobacco any safer? Do you know about the tens of thousands of people who die every year from medicines
deemed safe by the FDA? Have you heard commercials on radio and TV that list the "known side effects"
of medications approved by the FDA? Then why would you believe what the government tells you about
any substance? Especially when government agencies have so much to gain monetarily from controlling
a substance?

Has it occurred to members of the Tea Party, that the reason we need organizations such as the
Oathkeepers, is that our law enforcement agencies have been acting in a manner inconsistent with
the freedoms enumerated in our Constitution? If our police forces are consistently trained to deny our
ability to behave in ways that harm no one but ourselves (seat belts, speeding on a highway in the
middle of nowhere, violating a red light camera, etc.) how can we expect them to respect our rights
as put forward in the Constitution?

I have witnessed people calling out for government control of our financial transactions. Members have
called out for restrictions on credit card interest rates, and help with their mortgages.
Simply put, if you don't want to pay high credit card rates, don't borrow on credit. Live within your means.

I'm a real estate agent and have been an investor even longer. I made and lost a million dollars in the
real estate boom and bust of the last ten years. I lost one house (my residence) to foreclosure, and am
fighting to keep the investment properties that I have, as they are not as far underwater as my house had been.

It is not the government's job to protect me from my own bad decisions. Nor should it be. However, as
an investor, it would be easier to operate my business if I was not bombarded by higher fees and regulatory
costs at all levels--higher utility bills, higher licensing costs, higher costs from suppliers brought on by
increased regulations in their industries, code enforcement agents citing me for a recliner on a renter's
porch--that lead me to believe, as do most Tea Party members, that less government at all levels would
help the economy recover.


As nearly every business owner can attest, Every time the government gets involved with business, the costs
of doing business go up. Let the free market work, and quit petitioning the government to slant things in your
favor. There's a name for that, it's called Welfare.

If, Tea Party Members, you truly love Freedom, then you must love all of it, not just the parts that you
are comfortable with. We must decide whether or not we are truly lovers of Freedom, or merely another
special interest group wrapping ourselves in the Flag and merely pretending Patriotism.

Lastly, I want to address the touchy issue of religion. First, my statement of faith: I believe that Jesus Christ
was crucified, died, and rose on the 3rd day in accordance with Messianic Jewish law and prophecy as the final atonement for humanity's shortcomings. This being said, my wish is for others to come to a saving knowledge of Christ. However, I do not endorse any type of coercion to religion nor the establishment of any religion by government.

If you believe that Christianity is The Way, then you should be able to defend your faith with more than
"It's in the Bible, so it's true" to non-believers and your walk should be a witness that points to Christ. If
you can't do that, I will remind you that according to Proverbs 15:1 "A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger" and we are called to humility. God's Grace is a gift that must be recieved
freely; Christians are not made by forced conversion. You are no more than a recipient of a gift and have
no cause to be angry with those that have chosen not to accept that gift, and furthermore you will only
alienate them from both Christ and supporting candidates that support freedom.

A Christian nation can not be made by political decree, nor should we try to advocate that, but win the
hearts, minds, and souls of others by application of the Word of God to our own lives. This is not
just a struggle of flesh and blood.

One last thing regarding any government mandated religion; If you believe that they rarely do anything else right, why would you want them mandating a religion? Wouldn't they then have to codify and cannonize your beliefs? Would you trust anyone to do that?