Dear Editor,

I guess I am one of them far right southern rednecks, gun hugging, tea baggers the liberal politicians are condemning. I have not joined any of the “Tea Bag” organizations but I share in their basic political philosophy. I believe in God, guns and self-reliance. I believe in adherence to the US Constitution, low taxes and a limited role of government. I certainly do not believe in the manipulation of the tax laws to redistribute wealth. I will redistribute my very modest wealth the way I see fit, thank you very much.

I am extremely angry that Congress has voted on a massive national health care bill that the vast majority of the people do not want. It clearly demonstrates the arrogance of the Washington politicians that ignored the will of the majority of the people. I have taken note of who supported this bill. I will vote against every politician that did not actively oppose this bill. And I will vote for and provide financial support any politician that had the courage to publically oppose it. I believe in a limited role of government. Government should be limited to those roles as identified in the U.S. Constitution. I believe the government should stay out of my life, my bedroom and my pocketbook.   

The 10th amendment to our Constitution states the following:  “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” This particular amendment shapes much of my political philosophy.

I read somewhere that some Republican politician stated that the Republican Party needed to co-opt the Tea Bag Movement for its own use. I hope it is the other way around. I don’t want the Tea Bag Movement to evolve into a third party. That would split the conservative vote and diminish its influence.  I want it to redirect, reform and reinvigorate the Republican Party.

George Bush was the worst thing to happen to the Republican Party. The backlash from his administration set the stage for the Democrats to win both houses of Congress and Obama to get elected. I blame George Bush for that debacle. The Democrats ran against John McCain and won. Neither George Bush nor John McCain reflected true conservative values. A Republican was not going to be elected no matter what he said, did or believed in. George Bush expanded the power and reach of the federal government and diminished individual liberties. He established the Department of Homeland Security and implemented no warrant searches. I strongly disagree with a lot of his policy decisions.

Many people attempt to label the “Tea Bag” Movement as being composed of radicals. I reject that label. I don’t see how the desire to return this country to its founding principles can be considered “radical.” I consider myself to be a “Constitutional Conservative.”

History can remind us why countries fail. The Roman Empire and the Soviet Union did not fail because they were militarily defeated. They failed because they became fiscally insolvent. Both were financially overextended due to foreign wars, excessive public entitlements, inefficient use of resources, and a economic system that did not provide an incentive to work. I fear that the United States is on the same road to failure unless we reverse direction. Free enterprise may not be utopia, but it is the best economic system that I am aware of.  We should put our financial house in order. Our current state of affairs is not sustainable.

And I should state, my political opinions will forever be a work in progress. I expect that they will continue to evolve over time. I reserve the right to revise and expand my opinions and even change direction as I continue to learn new things. I don’t view a change in direction as “inconsistency.” I view it as “political evolution.”