April 15th is the date for most of our Tea Party celebrations across the state in 2011 even though April 18th is the actual deadline for filing your taxes this year. Although the term Tea Party represents different principles and directions to different groups, the original TEA Party stood for “Taxed Enough Already”. It seems ironic that the deadline was extended to allow the celebration of Emancipation Day:
Emancipation Day falls on Sat., April 16, but it is observed in D.C. on Fri.,
April 15. That prompted the IRS to extend the tax filing deadline to April 18
this year. Under the tax code, filing deadlines can’t fall on Saturdays, Sundays
or holidays.
There is an interesting article on the tenth amendment solutions site concerning the ten greatest dangers to the Tea Party movement. The author’s number one danger to the Tea Party movement is:
#1 Becoming co-opted by the GOP. Beginning with the big Tea Party rallies in Atlanta and around the country after the election of Barak Obama, Tea Party detractors noted — and rightly so — that the Tea Party seemed more about bashing Obama and Democrats than about restoring constitutional principles. Because we live in an era when most genuine constitutionalists are running for office as big “R” Republicans, there are many within the Tea Party who see the purpose of the Movement as a rubber-stamp to help the GOP get things back on track. This is unfortunate when, in light of history, virtually every Republican administration in the White House has been just as guilty of trampling the Constitution for the last 150 years of American history as have Democrats. It is time that Americans cease voting for candidates merely because of political party affiliation (or lack thereof) and begin, once again, to become knowledgeable of each candidate’s positions on the issues and their understanding of the Constitution. Republicans who do not uphold their oath of office to abide by the Constitution should be ridden out of town on a rail just as quickly as Democrats. There are already enough radio talk show hosts carrying water for the GOP without the Tea Party selling out for anything less than a true constitutional revival… and better to wait for the proof in the pudding before signing over the country!
If you are planning to attend a Tea Party event this week, you can easily see if your group or area has been co-opted by the Republican Party by the list of speakers. When was the last time your taxes were cut by any politician? It is not about politicians or parties, it is about freedom and the future of our country.
David DeGerolamo
