"Cut Spending!" or "SHUT IT DOWN !" | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: Undeniably, the news of the week was the looming federal government shutdown. Rather than report on it, I decided to get the "extreme" point of view of someone, who was there as a representative of the eastern North Carolina Tea Party. Keep reading if you want to discover these "extremists' " motivations.

    On Wednesday, April 6, about 800-1000 Tea Party members and other conservative groups stood on the Capitol lawn in Washington, DC, to tell the government to "Cut Spending!" In fact, their message was this: "Have the guts and make the cuts."

    As of Wednesday, it looked as though there would be a government shutdown. That is because Congress has still not passed a budget in order to fund government. Up until this point, there have been a series of Continuing Resolutions to fund the government in piecemeal, some lasting only for a week. President Obama had met House Speaker John Boehner to urge him to submit a budget or at least another Continuing Resolution, but Democrats have been unwilling to make the budget cuts that are needed and which the Republicans demand. The Democrats, on the other hand, complain that the fault lies with the Republicans because they refuse to compromise.

    Passing a meaningful budget - one that addresses the gargantuan deficit and aims to reduce spending - has pit Democrats against Republicans. It has hit across ideological and, hence, party lines. It goes to the heart of the matter that Democrats just don't see the emergency of our national situation and don't seem to want to put the country on a course to provide the financial security that our children and grandchildren deserve. For example, President Obama criticized Republicans and told them that they should act like "adults." Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) blames the budget crisis on the Tea Party. In fact, he has publicly demanded that Boehner ignore the Tea Party, which he called the "extreme elements" of the Republican party, in working with Democrats to pass an appropriations bill. Similarly, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) encouraged Republicans to stop listening to the Tea Party, saying: "The country doesn't care much about the Tea Party. There is a new CNN poll out that says this very directly." (The poll he was referring to, released on March 30, said that only 47% (of whom?) view the Tea Party in a favorable light). And Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), on MSNBC News, said that people like Representatives Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Eric Cantor (R-VA) "inhabit a place called Cloud Cuckoo Land." He said they are mistaken in believing that the November election was any kind of referendum for change and that they still must work with representatives in Congress who were elected before them. Furthermore, he accused them of not knowing anything about the Constitution. Imagine... getting a lesson in Constitutional governance from Barney Frank. Next he'll probably want to teach a lesson in morality.

    One might be wondering how it could be possible that our representatives never passed a budget. Well, the problem lies in the previous Congress. That Congress, the 111th Congress, led by Nancy Pelosi, never passed a 2011 budget. Perhaps they knew better than to pass another big spending budget before the November 2010 election. So instead, they simply passed a series of Continuing Resolutions to fund the government little by little, week by week, month by month. When Speaker Boehner took charge of the new GOP leadership in the House, he proposed a modest $30 billion in cuts for the 2011 budget. Fellow conservatives, however, demanded deeper cuts. The Republican-controlled House then passed $61 billion in budget cuts to fund the rest of the 2011 budget year. As Americans for Prosperity noted: "It was galling to see President Obama tell the Republicans they should be 'adults' when the President, Reid and then-Speaker Pelosi had an entire year to pass their 2011 and never got it done!"

    Tea Party groups will be happy to know that Boehner has not given in to the Democrats who threaten that there cannot be a deal as long as he refuses to ignore the Tea Party. In fact, he has stated that he is, in fact, in lockstep with them. As he told ABC reporter George Stephanopoulus, "There's no daylight between the Tea Party and me."

    Several representatives came out of the Capitol building to address the crowd at the "Cut Spending Rally," including Representatives Mike Pence (R-Ind), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Renee Elmers (R-NC), Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), and Michelle Bachmann (R-MN). The crowd included citizens from NJ, NC, SC, Virginia, Maryland, NY, Delaware, Pennsylvania, California, and Texas. It included Republicans, Tea Party folks, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, Conservatives, and even those who aren't otherwise politically-minded.

    Rep. Pence told Tea Partiers and other conservatives that "The Debt Stops Here! If liberals in the Senate would rather play political games than accept a modest downpayment on fiscal discipline and reform, then I say 'SHUT IT DOWN!'" The crowd responded with a chant of "SHUT IT DOWN! SHUT IT DOWN!"

    Rep. Jordan told the peaceful conservative crowd: "As NJ Governor Chris Christie said just a week ago when he was here in DC, 'We're at that point in history where we need patriots and not patrons' and that is so important. This spending fight is the central fight of our time. This is why we need patriots like you to step forward and say that this matters for our country and for our kids and for our grandkids." He then asked everyone to try to keep optimistic. "The good news is that the American people get it. And I believe that with this new freshman group of Congressmen that you help send here, the politicians get it for a change. And we're gonna get the job done; we're gonna get the country back on track. Remember, in spite of the difficulties facing us, we still live in the greatest nation in history....the last best hope for freedom. Always keep a smile on your face as you fight the fight. Always have an optimistic positive attitude. You know, I love the story from Scripture, and I know you all know it. It's the one where the Israelites are camped out against the Philistines. Every day the Philistine giant Goliath would walk about and issue the challenge: 'Who will fight me?' The Israelites' response was 'He's too big; we can never defeat him!' And David's response was 'He's too big to miss!' "

    Rep. Renee Elmers, a nurse-turned-Congresswoman, assured the crowd that she is committed to the spending cuts and to defunding Obamacare, as she promised when she ran for office. Dallas Woodhouse, the NC Director of Americans for Prosperity, followed up on the discussion of the disastrous healthcare reform bill by saying: "There is one good thing about Obamacare...it started a serious Constitutional discussion on the permissible limits of the Commerce Clause."

    Rep. John Goodlatte of the Commonwealth of Virginia reminded everyone to call the Senate to their job and cut spending now. He suggested that what the government needs is a balanced budget amendment. "And it doesn't have to go to the President for his signature!"

    Americans for Prosperity Director Tim Phillips took to the microphone next, reminding the crowds how the Democrats and even President Obama have criticized Republicans for standing their ground on budget cuts. "President Obama told Republican leaders to act like adults. You know where he is today? He's in NY having lunch with Al Sharpton, who owes the government $1.8 million in back taxes..... Tell President Obama to put the golf clubs away and stop hanging out with tax cheats and start acting like an adult himself!"

    The final speaker was Michele Bachmann, who was celebrating her 55th birthday. "I don't know about you, but I like getting older! I just want you to know that I am the 'Old Woman in the Shoe.' My husband and I will celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary this year. My husband and I have 5 biological children together and we've been privileged to raise 23 foster children in our home. So that's a lot of pasta for 28 kids over the years. The one thing we know how to do is stretch a dollar in our house. So we know the value of a dollar. In our family, we cut coupons and shop at consignment shops... we do what it takes to make the house run. Sometimes that means we had to cut spending. If we can do it in our homes, why shouldn't we expect our government to do the same?"

    She continued: "Consider this: Gas was $1.83 a gallon when Obama took office. It has more than doubled under his watch. If we were to issue a report card right now on his ability to manage the economy, what grade would you give him?" The crowd shouted "F!" Ms. Bachmann didn't miss a beat: "That's right, Obama would get an 'F'. Now I know many of you traveled from great distances. And I know that not all of you are Tea Party folks or Republicans. But you came here because the budget issue is important. You came here because you care more about your government and your country than your own comfort and enjoyment. You are reasonable, fair-minded people who are fed up with government spending and who are saying to Congress: 'Be principled, be practical, be reform-minded, and do these 3 things: (1) Don't tax us anymore . We are taxed enough already!); (2) Stop Spending. Stop spending more money than you have; and (3) Start operating within the limits of the Constitution.' "

    In a nutshell, President Obama, Harry Reid, and then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi had an entire year to put together a budget and get it passed. But they didn't. As Michele Bachmann commented: "They failed to get the budget completed and they failed.... miserably." And now they have the nerve to blame the Tea Party and John Boehner and the new Republican leadership in Congress for the impending government shutdown.

Vicky Born, VP of the Republican Women of Pitt County and a member of the Eastern NC Tea Party, stands in front of the Capitol building, waiting for Senator Burr to come out to address his constituents.


Annie and Julius traveled over 5 hours from Pinehurst, NC, to represent the Moore Tea Citizens in DC. They made the trip with a bus full of members.


    Diane Rufino has her own blog For Love of God and Country. Come and visit her. She'd love your company.
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Yes, Mr. McRoy, spending can be cut to hold the line on the current tax rate Editorials, For Love of God and Country, Op-Ed & Politics Good government requires sunshine

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