This is only the beginning…
Watching this fight in the House. What a spectacle. And what a disgrace. I did an interview with WSLS 10 tonight. Here’s a link to their site.
Don’t get down. The fact that the Democrats will have had to commit political suicide to pass this bill is a direct result of your efforts in Roanoke, and from Patriot groups across this nation.
Now what?
As we’ve stated numerous times, it is time to move from protests and transition the Roanoke Tea Party into a political force that can force our 2 parties to uphold the Constitution. Please join us for our business meeting at the Voice Of The Blue Ridge at 6:30 PM on April 1. Here are directions.
We fully expectVA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to file suit to stop this legislation if it passes. 36 other states are likely to join in this effort. Obviously, we appreciate this support of our Constitutional Rights. Other private groups will likely file as well.
We expect Bob McDonnell to sign the Healthcare Freedom Act, which can be used to nullify the unconstitutional aspects of this bill. If he doesn’t sign the bill Monday, we need to start pressuring the governor to do so. The Roanoke Tea Party and other state groups worked very hard to get bi-partisan support in Richmond for the Health Care Freedom Act in the event Washington passed a bill like this…We need this bill signed ASAP.
We need our leaders in the state of Virginia to stand up to the Federal Government and protect the rights of Virginians. We expect our leaders to draw a line around this state and say HELL NO to this blatant violation of our 10th Amendment Rights.
Lastly, we need to focus on removing from office those responsible for this crime against the nation. Tom Periello must be defeated in November. The Lynchburg/Danville/Charlottesville Tea Parties are already working actively to defeat Periello.
Most of our members have Bob Goodlatte as a Congressman. He has worked hard to defeat the bill and has never waivered in his opposition. His support is greatly appreciated.
There are several Tea Party Groups forming in the NRV area that we will be working with to try and find ways to unseat Rick Boucher. While he voted against the Health Care bill, his vote for Cap and Trade was already a deal breaker. (Periello voted for Cap and Trade too)
A vote for Cap and Trade is bad for any Congressman, but particularly for Boucher, who represents areas where Coal Mining is the major industry. Cap and Trade would further gut this industry, kill jobs in his disrict and further our national shortage of domestic energy sources.
Getting Boucher and Periello out of office becomes job # 1. Job 1A:
Make sure their replacements support
The Constitution
Free Markets
Individual Liberties
Fiscal Responsibility
That starts the long road back to sanity in DC. And don’t think we have forgotten about Webb and Warner. You are complicit in this crime too….and your unelection will come as soon as possible.
Moment of Crisis…And the Roanoke Tea Party’s Manifesto
Sorry for the delay in this post. We have had problems with the site for the past couple of days. I am traveling (a long ago planned wedding I’m attending in Newport News) and tied up with family stuff. The timing couldn’t be worse. However, I think most of the Congressman know what they are going to do…they are just savvy enough to try and wrangle more sweetheart deals from the Democratic leadership. At this point, I think the die is pretty well cast. But in case I’m wrong…let’s keep up the pressure on Boucher and Periello.
The slaughter solution has passed. And now the Democrats are bribing and cheating their way to a 216 person vote in the House. So the Democrats are willing to destroy the Constitution to pass this bill. The process is unconstitutional, the bill is unconstitutional. The result:
Your freedoms are in peril.
The specifics of the bill aren’t important now…though we all know that this isn’t going to help anyone but Democrats who are trying to seize power. If the government can subvert the Constitution to create laws without the consent of the people, our Republic is in an unparalleled crisis.
Thanks to Congressman Goodlatte for his support of the Constitution. From a message that Goodlatte sent to the Roanoke Tea Party yesterday.
“I wanted to let you know about a resolution that the Congressman co-sponsored which would prevent the speaker from bringing a rule to the floor unless it allows for an up-or-down vote on the Senate health care bill, and additionally he gave a speech on the house floor yesterday along with 124 other members of the Republican caucus against not only the health care bill itself, but also against the process by which the Democrats are trying to ram this through the House.”
We also appreciate Tom Periello for his courage in crossing over and voting against the Slaughter Solution. Yet he is going to vote for the bill? What sense does that make?
However, Rick Boucher went along with the Slaughter Solution. Congressman Boucher, you voted against the bill the first time around…and now you vote for the unconstitutional procedure to pass the unconstitutional bill you originally opposed? What?!?!?
The root cause of this problem is that we have progressives who are either too incompetent to see the constitutional issues with this bill, or willing accomplices to the greatest constitutional crisis in this nation since the Civil War.
So what do we do?
There is a rally in DC today at noon at the Capitol. I am watching it now. At some point, I think these rally’s are losing their effectiveness. I prefer hounding your Congressman, Leave Goodlatte alone, or thank him for showing leadership on this…but if you are in Boucher or Periello’s district
Call him
Call him
Call him.
“All politics is local”…make them fear for their jobs.
Governor McDonnell, we need every voice now. Sign the Health Care Freedom Act and join the fight! It has been sitting on your desk for over a week. What are you waiting for? We could have been the first state to approve nullification. But Idaho has beaten us to the punch.
Thanks to AG Ken Cuccinelli for his leadership on nullification and his willingness to fight for the rights the Federal government are trying to steal from us.
All of this is just, in the words of Ken Cuccinell, a rear guard action. If you were uncertain about the direction of progressives in DC, events of the past few days should have removed all doubt. The latest Gallop Poll shows Congressional approval at 16%. The question remains: what we are going to do about it?
The answer is we have to change the equation. It’s simple.
Step 1:
Get the current crop of progressives out of DC and Richmond.
The GOP is flush with confidence and joy as they feel they will sweep back in to power in November. We want to help that happen. Not to mention in 2011 when every State Senator is up for re-election. With the current environment and our active support, we can make this happen. As a local group we need to focus primarily on local races and get good men and women into office. But here’s the rub…
What are the new politicians going to differently? If it is the same economic policies that the GOP Congress and Bush pursued from 2000 – 2006 when they had a majority, we will end up in the same place we are today…with the people getting frustrated with the GOP and voting Democrats back in…
Is that really what we want? Is that what we are fighting for. Never Again.
Step 2:
Whoever is in power needs to be accountable to:
Support the Constitution
Show Fiscal Responsibility
Defend Individual Liberties
Support the Free Market
The Roanoke Tea Party does not care what your party affiliation is…but we do care deeply if you defend these basic principles. We are looking at Bob McDonnell just as critically as we would look at any Governor. He’s not getting a pass because he has an R behind his name. For those who put party loyalty above our principles, the Roanoke Tea Party is not the place for you.
Lastly, as the Roanoke Tea Party continues to grow, we need to continue to focus most of our energy on issues that are local to us…The Roanoke Valley, The New River Valley and Bedford/Lynchburg. We need to ensure that good candidates are representing us at every level of government: from school boards to Congress. From House of Delegates to the US Senate.
If you really support these basic principles, you can look at a piece of legislation and know that it violates these principles. Never mind that McDonnell’s a Republican. If you look at his original Jobs bill, it is full of tax breaks for “Green Jobs.” By doing this, the government is subverting the free market by targeting tax breaks to the businesses the government deems as good.
That does not support Free Markets. And we should oppose it.
Step 3: Repeat Steps 1 and 2 forever
We all have to get past party issues and look at how well are elected officials are upholding their principles. Forever.
The other advantage of acting locally is that no one knows what will happen to the economy. With the oppressive debt both parties in DC have piled up over the past few years, Moody’s is considering downgrading the USA’s bond rating. Did you hear that? The USA, the greatest economic force in the history of the world, may being downgraded!
Glen Beck picked up on this last night. If the federal government goes bankrupt, we may be faced with a historical shift in this nation. Everyone likes to say “when things get better…we’ll be fine.” But please note that the Moody’s report also predicted unprecedented social upheaval when the US government finally starts to address the fiscal mess. What does that mean? No one knows for sure.
We have a Federal Government that is bound and determined to push us into a socialist society and destroy the basic tenets of our nation. What does that mean long term….No one knows for sure.
All we can really control politically is our local elections. When our local/state /Federal officials are faced with crucial decisions soon that could alter the very direction of this nation…we must have leaders who are up to this challenge.
As a local group, we need to be educated, prepared and ready for any eventuality. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst is always good advise. At some point very soon, our state and local officials are going to have to stand up to the Federal Government and say NO. And unless we are pushing them to do that…it will never happen. Being an effective voice locally has NEVER BEEN MORE CRITICAL THAN AT THIS PIVOTAL MOMENT IN HISTORY.
As a group, we need to stop being slaves to our current system. The system we have in place can be changed if we have the courage to stand on our convictions.
When the 10th Amendment is always respected, when we always allow for a truly free markets, when we always respect individual liberties and when the government is always thrifty; we will see this nation flourish economically and are freedoms will be secured.
Keep your powder dry people, whatever happens in DC over the next few days is only the first battle. The real battle will be in November, when we start to replace politicians and hold new ones accountable.The sad part is that the battle will never be over…we will always need to be vigilant because people, being people, are going to disappoint us.
That’s why are founders created this government to ensure our God Given rights are protected.That is our mission and for the sake of our children we cannot fail.
October 30 rally photos
Here is a gallery of photos taken at this afternoon’s Say Not To Government Health Care rally in SW Roanoke County. They were taken by Mickey Mixon.
We were surprised, but very pleased, to find Congressman Bob Goodlatte in our midst. He stayed for some time, answered questions from those in attendance and spoke to anyone who approached him. No one had contacted his office about attending – he just showed up.
The police came out several times, each in response to a complaint from Walgreens. They thought that we would take up all their parking (we didn’t), or that Walgreens would somehow be seen as “endorsing” our position. Not sure what the police told the store manager, but they never asked us to move or disperse.
We hope to have more photos soon.
Thank you Roanoke
…and Franklin County for participating in today’s Say No To Government Health Care rally!
We had a great turnout – including Congressman Goodlate who spent an hour or so at the rally. The response from commuters who passed us at Cave Spring Corner was overwhelmingly positive, with hundreds of honks and waves sent our way.
One unhappy motorist did shout “Move to Mexico if you don’t like Obama” in our direction, which none of us quite understood.
We’ll have photos and video soon.
The VAT – Don’t even think about it!
The following commentary comes from Roanoke Tea Party member Donald Koop, and the advocacy for the FairTax is his. The Roanoke Tea Party takes no official position on that proposal.
The dirty little secret is beginning to seep out. Your federal government, ever watchful for new ways to take your money from you in order to (in part) use it to compel you to adopt certain behaviors, is thinking about the socialist European Value Added Tax (VAT). Even Speaker of the House Pelosi admitted, in a recent PBS interview with Charlie Rose, that some form of VAT will need to be considered as part of the mix. This is frightening news, as it would provide an almost limitless source of money to pay for gross overspending on projects that (in part) we don’t want. And, it would be in addition to the income tax!
The VAT taxes the value added to each step of production of every good or service. For example, the addition of a windshield to a work-in-progress new car would require a tax on the increase in value of the car. Providers of goods and services will, of course, pass these taxes along to consumers as costs of production; i.e., as higher prices. In effect, the VAT is a sales tax imposed on all goods and services deemed to be subject to the tax. Further, the complexity of keeping track of all these mini-taxes is such that the VAT is only cost-effective if the tax is high enough. This could result in the tax rate being set at 10-15% and it is further subject to the whims of Congress when it comes to raising the rate.
The VAT, as a flat-rate tax on most of what we buy or consume, is extremely regressive. Unlike the income tax, which has been twisted and contorted in order to give a break to this group or that person, the VAT hits everyone with the same bat. The poor will pay a greater percentage of their expenditures in tax than those of higher income. Only a further set of contortions can relieve this certainty. Bring on thousands more pages of tax regulations!
Fortunately, many of us in the Roanoke Valley are served by a Congressman, Bob Goodlatte, who can be counted upon to vote against a VAT proposal as often as it comes up. Other Congressmen serving our region are not so certain, nor are our two Senators. We need to contact our wavering representatives often and with a simple message: The VAT – Don’t even think about it! Read more
Congressman Goodlatte’s Town Hall meeting
Many of our Roanoke Tea Partiers were in attendance for Representative Bob Goodlatte’s Town Hall meeting last night in Roanoke.
The hall was filled beyond capacity, and Mr. Goodlatte spoke and answered questions for more than two hours. A wide range of opinions were shared, but we were heartened to note that not only was the overwhelming majority of the crowd opposed to the bills currently working through the Congress, but that the Congressman was opposed as well.
He warned about governmental interference in insurance choices and voiced grave concern about the fiscal disaster facing Medicare as the baby boom generation begins to reach retirement age.
Here is a video report from Carson Krislov on WDBJ.
We can’t say whether Ms. Krislov did so with any agenda in mind, but she did go through the audience and hand-pick people who had posed questions to the Congressman for her to interview.
The Roanoke Times has coverage of the meeting online that struck us as very accurate and complete. It included this list of suggestions from Goodlatte:
That prompted Goodlatte to cite some of the “targeted changes in our laws” that he’d like to see:
- Leveling the tax playing field to offer the same incentives for individuals that are now offered to large corporations.
- Tort reform that would reduce operating costs for doctors, as well as “defensive medicine” that results in unneeded tests and procedures.
- More transparency of health care information and costs.
- Expansion of pooled coverage that would allow individuals and small businesses to band together and take advantage of economies of scale, even across state lines.
WSLS also aired a report, which included an interview with Chip Tarbutton, a member of our interim Board – though they did misidentify him as “Tearbutton.”
If anyone has their own photos or video from this event, please contact us.
Goodlatte Town Hall meeting- 9/3
Congressman Robert Goodlatte
Congressman Bob Goodlatte, who represents the 6th District of Virginia in the US House Of Representatives, has scheduled a Town Hall meeting for Thursday, September 3 in Roanoke.
It will be held at Hidden Valley High School (5000 Titan Trail) in SW Roanoke County from 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Make plans now to attend – be ready with good questions for our congressman! We need to be sure he hears our voices before the House votes on Health Care Reform in September.
Bring your signs – and wear your Tea Party t-shirts!
He has also scheduled meetings in Bridgewater on 9/4 and Lynchburg on 9/12.
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