I received an insert in The Citizen [March 3, 2010] announcing a “TEA PARTY” held by Harold Bost on behalf of a local PAC. The all-caps format of the invitation makes it unclear whether the gathering is part of the growing “Tea Party” grass-roots political movement, or if they’re simply having a party, serving tea, and capitalizing on the name.
If the PAC wishes to consider itself part of the “Tea Party” movement, however, it should stick to tax-and-spend issues.
SPLOST (taxation), the Fayetteville bypass (spending), and the change in health plans for government employees (spending) are legitimate issues for a “Tea Party” group to consider. Ethics charges and internal performance reviews are not.
There are a myriad of issues that politicians’ constituencies may have opinions on, but the “Tea Party,” as originally constituted, is focused only on the government’s propensity to increase taxes and spending.
Whatever Mr. Bost thinks of Mr. Horgan’s marijuana possession, or other hot-button issues like abortion, gun ownership rights, gay marriage, etc, etc., ad nauseam, such social issues are not legitimate topics for debate/lobbying/protests by a “Tea Party” group.
Almost all taxpayers (as differentiated from tax consumers) can get behind the effort to hold down taxes and stop profligate government spending.
The moment a group starts wandering into the area of social commentary and pushing to legislate or enforce morality, they will dilute their message and undoubtedly lose the support of some fiscal conservatives.
Randy Drake
Peachtree City, Ga.
