President Barack Obama, left, shakes hands with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. , right, after signing the $858 billion tax deal into law in a ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex, Friday, Dec. 17, 2010 in Washington.

Blue Collar Commentary

With Dale McCoy

I’m tired of hearing people accuse the tea party of being a front for the republicans. Tea party beliefs are not partisan ideas, they are principles of freedom. We believe in limited government, fiscal responsibility, and free markets. Leaders that stand firm on these values will get our vote, politicians that put themselves and their party first will not.

Democrats not involved in the tea party are being misled by the pundits on the political left. The tea party is not a republican organization. I feel qualified to say this because I have been deeply involved with the movement for more than a year. I participate in a tea party planning committee, I attend rallies, and I’ve met hundreds of volunteers. I am not an outsider looking in, I know the people involved. The tea party does not work for the republicans or the democrats. We insist that all politicians must work for us. It is our intent to force change in both parties. There are republican elements that try to co-opt our support, but this is what politicians do. There are democratic elements that try to discredit us, but this is also something that politicians do. We hold no allegiance to the GOP, but we are constrained by the realities of a two party system, which is why the tea party votes overwhelmingly republican. Given the current democratic leadership and the futility of a third party, we have no other choice. Remember Ross Perot? He provided a wonderful education on the effect of a third party candidate. Purposely splitting the conservative vote would play right into the hands of our adversaries.

I find it ironic that staunch democrats accuse the tea party of being partisan. Strict party loyalty requires insincerity. It’s time to stop arguing about republicans and democrats and start holding all elected officials equally accountable for their actions. Politics as usual have led us to the brink of disaster. Our economy is on life support, our military is stretched thin, and our currency is in danger of collapsing. These problems were created by both parties, and they are perpetuated by both. It is up to the people to elect responsible leaders. We can’t change anything if we are not willing to vote an incumbent law maker out of office, and we won’t change anything if we refuse to vote across party lines. Look at how the post election results are shaping up. The majority has shifted in the House, but party leadership remains essentially unchanged. As long as we are confined to a two party system,(likely to be forever), our only hope for the future lies in electing new blood. This is why the tea party is willing to take a chance on candidates like Christine O’Donnell and Sharron Angle. We must elect candidates that will shrink the government, not expand it.

I would like nothing better than to see democratic candidates champion smaller government and fiscal responsibility. Instead, I see a morally bankrupt leadership that decries large corporations while bailing them out. They campaign against bankers while handing them taxpayer money . And they claim to represent the working class while destroying our jobs. I also see a democratic rank and file that supports their party in spite of the obvious hypocrisy. Too many people abandon their principles when they vote. The result is a democratic party run by the extreme left. Conservative democrats are an endangered species, and those that remain have been marginalized. We watched as the “blue dogs” let the healthcare bill squeak by. We watched these same blue dogs remain silent while normal legislative procedures were ignored and abused. We witnessed the open bribery of Mary Landrieu and Ben Nelson. In short, we saw a very powerful liberal majority trample the rules and violate their oath to protect the constitution. A political party must be held responsible for their leadership, and the tea party understands this. The midterm elections were a referendum on an arrogant and over-reaching government. The republicans didn’t win, the democrats lost.

Why is it that people who loathe big business are willing to put their trust in big government? Where is the evidence that government can be trusted? Power and money attract and breed corruption in both the private and public sectors. Legislators are more susceptible to this corruption because of the power they wield.  Our current leaders don’t regulate special interests, they conspire with them. We have entered the age of crony capitalism where bureaucrats pick the winners via subsidy, bailout, and exemption. The winners return the favor with cash and votes. We see this happening on a grand scale with business, banking, and labor.

Government is nothing more than a necessary evil. It is not capable of operating fairly or efficiently, so it must be limited. Let’s get past the partisan squabbling and focus on the real problem of a government out of control. We need fiscal responsibility and free markets. We need less taxes, less regulation, and more personal responsibility. Both political parties are controlled by arrogant aristocrats, and it is time to rein them in. I recommend tea for two.

Dale