Select Page

An Open Letter to Tea Party Patriots

An Open Letter to Tea Party Patriots:

Years ago, I joined the Tea Party in New York, because I sincerely believed in its simple, yet extremely powerful and direct message. The Party stood for low taxes, limited constitutional government, individual liberty, and rule of law — and nothing else. The Tea Party was not meant to be a political “Party” with positions on everything. It would only be involved in efforts that protected their core beliefs so as not to dilute their message.

Therefore, it is extremely disappointing that the Tea Party has lost its mind over issues that go against their core principles. For instance, what is this nonsense espousing substantial anti-immigration rhetoric? A large reason for such a high number of “illegal” immigrants is because the government has created arbitrary, low quotas which limit the amount of foreign-born workers allowed. How can someone espousing limited government, individual liberty, and rule of law be FOR crony capital government-imposed restrictions on businesses hiring who they want?

The current Tea Party was galvanized by the original (Boston) Tea Party and share the same disdain over high and unjust taxation.  But the original “tea partiers” would be turning over in their graves by being associated with the current Tea Party’s anti immigration stance! Here we have people who work and are motivated enough to uproot and better themselves by living in another country. That is the best kind of ethic we need to continue to nourish and aspire to America, the way we always have.

For the Tea Party to be close-minded and protectionist on the issue of immigration flies in the face of the original Tea Partiers who inspired them.  The Tea Party would do well to return to focusing on its core ideals if it wants to be any bit effective in the public square

IRS Finally Issues Tea Party Status: DENIED

As we’ve been following this story regarding the IRS for years, here’s the latest update from the Washington Times:

Nearly seven years after it applied to the IRS for nonprofit status, the Albuquerque Tea Party has finally been given a decision: Denied.

The tax agency, under orders from a federal judge, is belatedly tackling the remaining tea party cases that it delayed for years, and so far the tea party isn’t doing well. Only one of the three groups in the case was approved, and the other two, including Albuquerque, got notices of proposed denials last week.

The applicants will have a chance to appeal, but the denials aren’t sitting well with the groups, whose attorney said it’s more evidence that the IRS continues to single out the tea party for abuse.

“It is clear that we still have an IRS that is corrupt and incapable of self-correction,” said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel at the American Center for Law and Justice, which represented a number of tea party groups in a case against the tax agency.

The one group that was approved was Unite in Action, a Michigan-based organization that first applied for tax-exempt status more than six years ago. The Albuquerque Tea Party and Tri Cities Tea Party from Washington state were notified of proposed denials.

“It is clear that we still have an IRS that is corrupt and incapable of self-correction,” said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel at the American Center for Law and Justice, which represented a number of tea party groups in a case against the tax agency.

Still to come is a decision on Texas Patriots Tea Party, a group that is part of a separate class-action lawsuit out of Ohio. A judge in that case ruled late last month that the IRS was likely violating the group’s First Amendment rights by delaying its application and ordered the tax agency to process and decide on the application.

The IRS, which declined to comment on the new decisions, admitted in court that it did subject the tea party groups to intrusive scrutiny, singling them out because of their political viewpoints and forcing them to go through hurdles that other groups didn’t face.

IRS officials over the summer promised both the courts and Congress that the agency would begin to process all outstanding applications after years of delay that it blamed on a “litigation hold” policy.

Under that policy, the IRS said once a group sued, the agency stopped work on its application. Federal courts held that policy was both ill-advised and not a hard-and-fast rule and ordered the agency to get back to work.

In a notice filed last week, the IRS said it has now met its first deadline.

“As of November 8, 2016, the Internal Revenue Service has issued determinations with respect to each of the Plaintiffs whose applications for tax exempt status had been pending,” the agency said.

Mr. Sekulow said the groups never should have faced the delays, adding that they showed “continuing problems inside the IRS.”

In a court filing this weekend Mr. Sekulow asked a federal judge in the District of Columbia to officially declare that the IRS violated groups’ First Amendment rights.

The groups also said they are worried that the IRS decision-making in applications that were denied might have been skewed by the entire history of the targeting.

The Albuquerque Tea Party first applied on Dec. 29, 2009. Four months later, it got a two-page, 10-question reply from the IRS, beginning years of back and forth. It has faced a series of follow-up questions, the years long delay in court and an offer to be approved — if the group would agree to limit its political advocacy to 40 percent of its activities.

The TEA Party Turns Five


Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Santinelli Rant on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, which spawned the infamous Tea Party (Taxed Enough Already?). Even if you heard it then, it’s definitely worthwhile listening to once more:

The first Tea Party protests subsequently followed on February 27th to protest the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus bill signed by President Barack Obama on February 17th, 2009.

There is raging debate about whether or not the Tea Party still holds the influence it did during the 2010 Congressional elections as well as whether or not ARRA helped our economy recovery.

The White House posted this to mark the 5 year anniversary of ARRA

“Five years later, the U.S. economy is undoubtedly in a stronger position, thanks to the grit and determination of our nation’s workers and businesses. The economy has now grown for 11 straight quarters, and businesses have added 8.5 million jobs since early 2010. While far more work remains to ensure that the economy provides opportunity for every American, there can be no question that President Obama’s actions to date have laid the groundwork for stronger, more sustainable economic growth in the years ahead.”

At the same time, Obama has more than doubled the public debt. CNS News reported that “the marketable debt of the U.S. government has more than doubled–climbing by 106 percent–while President Barack Obama has been in office, increasing from $5,749,916,000,000 at the end of January 2009 to $11,825,322,000,000 at the end of January 2014”

Are we better or worse? Post your thoughts below!

Occupy University

Well, isn’t this cozy. The Occupy movement, which began in September, has occupied several universities this spring. USA Today highlights a course being taught at Roosevelt University in Chicago (surprise?) called “Occupy Everywhere”. Similar classes on the history and/or significance of the Occupy cause are being offered at Brown University, USC-San Diego, and New York University. While Columbia could not get approval for such a class in time, it did offer college credit for participation in OWS.

This seems like the perfect opportunity to infiltrate academia just in time for the 2012 election. Don’t forget, the college vote overwhelmingly supported Obama in 2008. There’s even an occupycolleges.org website.

I wonder how many classes are being offered regarding a movement that will celebrate its 3rd birthday in a few days? Sparked by the Rick Santelli “rant” on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on February 19, the first Tea Party protests were organized on February 27, 2009. In contrast to the months-long Occupy movement — well noted for filth and crime — the Tea Party significantly impacted the 2010 Congressional elections merely a year later, and has continued to grow as an organized, grassroots group.

The desperation on the Left here is astounding, since most Americans have moved on from the Occupy Movement. At the ivory towers, however, I suppose the closest we could get to a Tea Party class is a course on the Constitution. If they offer one.

Update: Occupy is trying to get more organized. They have filed to form a PAC to help influence the upcoming election cycle

TEA or OWS?

Tom Palmer, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, penned the following piece over at Policymic.  Tom rightly gets to the heart of the matter in his summation at the end of the essay.

“Government debts and printing-press money will harm future generations. It’s unfair. It’s immoral. And it’s going to be solved not by occupying Phoenix, or Wall Street, or Atlanta, but by demanding that spendthrift politicians stop the bailouts and the cronyism, put the brakes on spending, and pay attention to a truly radical concept: arithmetic. Those are sound Tea Party values.”

Should Americans Support the Tea Party or Occupy Wall Street?