Bath resident, John Lacava, responds to former BC Republican Party Chairman Larry Britt | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This article appeared in the Beaufort Observer, and is a response to a Letter to the Editor, by former Beaufort County Republican Party Chairman Larry Britt, which was published in the WDN.

    When I moved to Bath, North Carolina, ten months ago I discovered that there were two Republican parties in Beaufort County and three Republican parties in Pitt County. As a lifelong Republican (until 2006), who grew up in Taxachusetts and resided in Virginia for 45 years, I found this a little disconcerting. In my former places of residence there had only been one Republican party. Granted one was liberal (guess which one) and the other conservative but a least there was only one to whom one owed allegiance. At this point, I said to myself, "Myself, no wonder the North Carolina legislature has been controlled by Democrats for over one hundred years".

    The foregoing leads me to reply to Mr. Larry Britt's recent editorial in The Washington Daily News of April 8, 2011. Mr. Britt, does the term "die-hard conservative" denote derogation on your part or is it an indictment of the conservative Republicans and Tea Party members who helped capture the North Carolina Legislature in the last election? If "die-hard conservatives" is a derogatory term, how does that help heal the party?

    As far as "going down in flames" for what one believes in goes, I guess you are speaking in favor of compromise or kinship with the opposition (Democrats). Please understand that the reason the country is now in grave danger is because a never-ending parade of "Get Along to Go Along Country Club Republicans" caved every time the Liberal Democrat Progressives pressured them to. Thus, another bite out of the Elephant. This has been going on for over one hundred years. Now we are experiencing the same lack of fortitude in the United States House of Representatives with regard to spending cuts. The 68 have it right. A promise is a promise.

    I would also say, that I admired Ronald Reagan but he made a grave mistake when he compromised on taxes with the Democrats. Democrats always take increased taxation as a signal to spend beyond our means or temperament to pay. It took Newt Gingrich and "The Contract with America" to straighten things out. Wow, what a price Newt paid for sticking to his guns. If the last election proved anything, it proved that there are a lot of "die-hard conservatives" out there who had finally had enough. They tired of the liberal and moderate Republicans serving up a steady diet of moderate and liberal presidential nominees just because it was their turn. As a result we got Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Now conservatives are realizing their dream because they stayed at it and never quit. As in all things, the people teach and the politicians ignore.

    I think if you take the long view of history, you will note that the people we admire the most are the ones that never compromised their principles or ideas even in the face of failure, stiff opposition, or even death. However, those who tossed their principles away for some current expediency are held in low regard because if one doesn't stand for something, one must fall.

    After visiting several Tea Party meetings and meetings of both Republican parties over the last several months, I have come to a few conclusions. Firstly, Republicans need to STOP acting like Democrats when they talk about Republicans. If you call yourself a Republican, you need to act like one. Republicanism rests on Jeffersonian principles and as a consequence are anti-federal. Secondly, 5 to 2 is not a bad thing unless strict conformity is expected. If strict conformity is expected, that is truly a shame!! Occasionally, it would be nice to see a 4 to 3 vote so that we will all be sure that Republicans are who they say they are. Could we please view the current political scene in this country and give the people who pay the bills what they have asked for? Finally, it not the job of government to pick winners and losers with a slush fund created with taxpayer dollars. Private enterprise by definition is supposed to be independent and rise and fall on its own merits. Beware of the GOVERNMENT/CORPORATE MATRIX.

    The great lesson that Ronald Reagan taught was that man has the capacity to change his mind (from Democrat to Republican) but once changed to remain resolute despite repeated failure. Airing one's dirty laundry in public is never a good idea. The people have taught a lesson in the last election. Did we get it?