Botetourt Residents…Don’t miss the Action Alert below:

We now have a formal address and phone number.

Roanoke Tea Party

PO Box 20285
Roanoke, VA 24018

540 491-0212

The phone number goes straight to a voice mail, but we will do our best to respond as quickly as possible.

• We are actively negotiating for a locale for our March meeting. We hope to have a bigger and better locale set up very soon.
• There is now a page to buy a one year membership. This costs only $25.00.
• We will have a downloadable membership form and a members only page set up shortly.
• We will have a tighter more action oriented agenda for our March meeting.

Good News! HB69 The Firearm Freedom Act was passed by committee and will be in front of the House of Delegates early next week. Thank Morgan Griffith for his support! More on HB69 here…. Contact your Delegate and ensure they vote yes on HB69 next week.

Action Alert:

From Danny Goad:

Stop Botetourt County Tax Increase Now!!! 

According to recent comments by Botetourt County Board of Supervisor Member, 

Terry Austin, he wants to put a new tax on Food & Beverage sales in Botetourt County.  

The article from the Fincastle Herald, January 13, 2010 says, 

 “Buchanan District Board of Supervisors member Terry Austin was at the meeting and noted 

that every area of county government will be affected‐‐‐from the Sheriff’s Department to the 

Treasurer’s Office.  He suggested the General Assembly give counties the same taxing authority as 

cities have.  Cities can levy taxes on cigarettes and higher meals and motel taxes.  “We have the 

same expenses as cities,” he said.” 

A bill passed in the State Senate, SB280, will allow the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors to

implement a Food & Beverage Tax with a simple majority vote.  Why does Terry Austin want this 

legislation to pass when the Board of Supervisors already can put this measure to a referendum 

and allow the citizens to vote on whether they want their taxes raised?  He wants this legislation for

 two reasons.  First, he knows that the citizens of Botetourt County do not want their taxes raised 

and would not grant the authority.  Secondly, he wants to blame the tax increase on the state

 legislature so he will not be held accountable.  SB280 has passed the State Senate and is awaiting

action in the House of Delegates.  Senator Smith voted against raising the taxes.  

Senator Edwards voted to raise the tax which will put businesses in Botetourt County at a 

competitive disadvantage with Roanoke. 

Is it likely that the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors will vote in favor of this tax increase?  

I think the answer is yes.  I say that because of the action the Board of Supervisors has taken 

since Terry Austin made these comments.  At the board meeting held January 26, Terry Austin 

was voted in as chairman.  Austin was nominated by newly appointed Fincastle Supervisor 

Donna Vaughn.  

What can be done to STOP this TAX?   

1.Contact all members of the House of Delegates that you know as well as Botetourt County 

Representatives  Del.William Cleaveland, (540‐591‐5959) and Del. Lacey Putney, (540‐586‐0090 ext. 1).  Tell them you are opposed to SB280.  

Tell them that you support legislation that makes it more difficult to raise taxes and not easier. 

2.Contact Members of the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors and tell them that you do not 

want increased taxes.  

Taxes depress the economy and with the current state of the economy we should do nothing to 

depress it further.  Botetourt County Government spending has increased to 148 percent what it 

was in 2006.  Decrease spending instead of raising taxes.  Contact Chairman Terry Austin (254‐1085), Vice‐Chairman Steve Clinton (992‐3066), Donna Vaughn (884‐2789), Don Assaid (992‐6445), and Billy Martin (977‐8085). 

3.Contact Danny H. Goad at (540)283‐9289 or dhgoadpe@msn.com if you would like to receive more information about this 

legislation or would like to help stop the onslaught of taxes. 

While D.C. is still befuddled and stuck between the ineffective leadership of the 2 parties in and out of power, Richmond seems to be moving in the right direction in regards to issues we should be able to agree on Tea Party members.

Below is an email from John Taylor, President of Tertium Quids, and a real patriot who continues the bi-partisan fight to pass common sense, Constitutionaly sound legislation in our state legislature. If you aren’t a member, you need to join today!

Please don’t forget about our March 8th business meeting and to call the Goveronor’s Office about his participation in the Council of Governors. So far, the governor’s office has not been responsive to repeated email and phone queries about thie brainchild of the Obama Admnistration. Very dissapointing.

But here is some good news from Tertium Quids.

Legislative update – 2/17/10
 
Since the bills that passed either the House or Senate have now crossed over to the other chamber, let’s review:
 
SUCCESSES!
 
HB 10 (Health Care Freedom Act) – passed the House.
SB 417, SB 311, SB 283 (health care) – passed the Senate and the House.
SB 512 (ethics, SB 4 was rolled into SB 512) – passed the Senate
HB 570 (changes burden of proof on tax assessments) – passed the House.
HB 652 (eminent domain compensation) – passed the House.
HB 223 (resurrection of death tax – we opposed) – killed in committee
HB 275 (resurrection of death tax – we opposed) – killed in committee
HB 269 (gas tax increase – we opposed) – killed in committee
HB 230 (gas tax increase – we opposed) – killed in committee
 
DISAPPOINTMENTS!
 
HB 31 (health care reciprocity) – killed in committee
HB 119 (eliminates corporate income tax) – apparently killed in committee.
 
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
 
HJ 7 (health care) – left in committee, will be brought back in 2011.
HJ 26 (TABOR) – left in committee, will be brought back in 2011.
HJ 115 (eminent domain) – left in committee, will be brought back in 2011.
 
Not a bad showing, but don’t let your guard down.  We’re not finished, yet.
 
If you have any questions about legislation or the legislative process, do not hesitate to give us a call at 703-753-2268 or send us an e-mail to TMGCoalition@aol.com. 
 
John
 
John Taylor
President
Tertium Quids
www.TertiumQuids.org
www.TertiumQuids/blogspot.com
JTaylor@TertiumQuids.org
Office: 703-753-2268
Fax: 703-753-1900

All of our speakers did a great job…but a few highlights:

Mike Powell:

He did a fantastic job and we need to do everything we can do to help him with Roanoke City Campaign. Click here for his website. While Mike is too nice a gentleman to say it, the GOP’s support of this candidate is ridiculously low. But the support he received yesterday might be enough to convince the GOP to increase their support.

Either way…he needs our support. We will be conducting several events between now and May 4 to promote Mike. Stay tuned. In any event, if you can give him a few dollars…please do. If you can volunteer…please do….

A big win on May 4th would do more for Roanoke City and for the Roanoke Tea Party then anything else we can do…

Sonnie Johnson:

If you didn’t get a chance to hear her speak, you really missed out. This may have been the best speech I have ever heard, and this is the first time she has spoken before a large crowd. This woman has a future as a motivational speaker. Here is information on the Frederick Douglas Foundation who she represents.

We have the speech captured on video…I can’t wait to share this video with the world.

Rachel Bandy:

She gave a very good speech, and we are excited about seeing her documentary film on the Roanoke Tea Party.

This will be premiered at Hollins University on April 30th at 7:00 PM. The screening is free of charge, and several members of The Roanoke Tea Party are interviewed as part of this documentary.

Jenice Pearl:

If you left early, you missed her and her family performing their patriotic song, Rise Up America. This song is amazing…and another song/video that is just waiting to go viral.

We are the Roanoke Tea Party and we have a plan…and we need your help.

First step in that plan is gettng Mike Powell on City Council. (Did I mention that already?) So please do everything you can individually to help him out.

Here is some of the media coverage:

WDBJ 7 news report

Roanoke Times Article….it was a fair story…although Mason got the number of participants at around 5:45 PM (it was about 500 when we talked…) There were about a 1000 at it’s peak around 6:15PM.

Roanoke Free Press Some good pictures and a video…although that is Greg Aldridge on the video…not Chip Tarbutton…Greg is much more suave than I.

As for Dan Casey and his sad little blog, Tea Party posters are the only thing that is driving anyone to read him…so I would advise all Tea Party posters to avoid his blog…he doesn’t need any extra publicity.

Chip Tarbutton

We are actively working on lining up support for Mike Powell. We can’t share much, but we are having a good start today. We still need your help desperately. Go to Mike’s website…

http://powell4roanoke.com/ to sign up or donate. We’ll have more information next week on fund raisers, door to door campaigning etc.

I found a video of Jenice Pearl’s Song Rise Up America.  Spread this to your friends/neighbors….etc. This is fantastic! Video highights will be coming soon for other highlights from 4-15.

Let’s be there in force! The GOP faithful will be packing this so it’s all a lovefest so get there early to ensure you have a seat.

 While McDonnell has done some good things….he also has some issues he needs to be asked tough questions on…

Why are you on the Council of Governors? Why did you take the stimulus money around this initiative?

Why did you approve $95 million in tax increases disguised as “fees”?

Why did you postpone a payment against the state pension account to “create” a surplus?

Why did you take use this mythical state surplus to fund a pay increase for state workers?  

“Virginia Speaks: A Conversation about Jobs, Government Reform and Our Future”

****Town Hall Schedule****

August 4, 2010 — 7:00pm-8:30pm

• Roanoke
  Roanoke County Administration Center
  Board of Supervisors Board Room
  5204 Bernard Drive
  Roanoke 

We are going to book a bus trip for the Glen Beck rally. The cost will be $35-$40 a person. Full details will be ready tomorrow.

We will also be having a raffle for some cool items that night….as we watch the first tentative steps our nation is taking to restore our Republic.

Our normal public meeting will take place as normal on Thursday 11-4. More on that soon…

Federal

The main event for Tuesday of course are the midterm Federal elections. The leadership of the Roanoke Tea Party remains pessimistic that these elections will accomplish little more than gridlock in DC.

Not that that is a bad thing.

We think Congress and the Executive branch accomplishing nothing is a good thing right now as only a handful of our Federal officials seem to have actually read or understand the Constitution.

We did do a voter guide for the 6th District Congressional Race. You can look at the full document here. We are not endorsing a candidate.

Congressman Goodlatte must continue to show that he takes his oath of office seriously. When Goodlatte ran for Congress for the first time in 1994, part of his platform (as well as the rest of the Congressional GOP) was that the Department of Education was unconstitutional.

Yet in 2003, Goodlatte voted to expand the Department of Education through the Head Start program. And he continues to vote to fund a Department he, at one time, felt was unconstitutional.

Our expectation of a Congressional candidate is that they will stand up for the Constitution (as is their oath of office) with EVERY vote.  No matter how difficult or unpopular it might be.

Stuart Bain did as well as any candidate could do without a voting record.  We hope Conservative voters will at least consider Bain before just blindly voting for Goodlatte.
Constitutional issues aren’t the only issues voters must consider when selecting a candidate, but they certainly should be a primary driver in our decision making. So look at both candidates and their positions before you cast your ballot Tuesday.

We did not do a formal vetting for the 5th District Race (Periello vs. Hurt) or 9th District Race (Boucher vs. Griffith). We have in both cases,  corrupt Democratic incumbents facing off against state level Republicans with a voting record of some concern to the RTP…(Hurt more so than Griffith)

We are not endorsing any of these candidates either. While an early retirement for Periello and Boucher would not hurt any of our feelings at all, (they would have been rated Epic Failures in our vetting process) we are not going to tie ourselves to candidates unless we are confident they will act differently than normal politicians.

Otherwise why have a Tea Party movement? Conservatives have been marginalized by the GOP forever…because we won’t stand up to the GOP and hold them to account when they go wrong. We will support candidates from any party if they consistently support our principles.

We believe in the Constitution, Fiscal Responsibility and limited government based on the 10th Amendment. We don’t care what the letter behind their name is if they support these principles. When politicians start understanding we can’t be easily bought off, they may actually start listening and changing their ways.

State:

There are 3 Constitutional Amendments on the ballot that have gotten very little attention. They were passed unanimously by the state legislators…(that should be the first warning that this is a bad idea)Here is an opposing view written by Rob Schilling. I am voting no and I urge you to vote no too…

“Virginia Ballot Questions 2010: Vote NO on 1, 2, and 3
by Rob Schilling on Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 9:15am

On November 2, 2010 Virginians will be faced with several seemingly innocuous but fatally flawed ballot questions, primarily dealing with various facets of taxation in the Commonwealth.

At hand are three constitutional amendments, which appear on the ballot following a multi-stage approval by the Virginia General Assembly, as follows:

A constitutional amendment, as established in Section 1 of Article XII, can be proposed in either house of the Virginia General Assembly. If a proposed amendment is approved by a simple majority vote in one session of the state legislature, it is automatically referred to the next session of the state legislature that occurs after the next general election of members of the Virginia House of Delegates. If in that second session the proposed amendment is “agreed to by a majority of all the members elected to each house” it is then placed before the state’s voters. If approved by a simple majority vote, it becomes part of the state’s constitution.

Question 1 reads:

Shall Section 6 of Article X of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to authorize legislation that will permit localities to establish their own income or financial worth limitations for purposes of granting property tax relief for homeowners not less than 65 years of age or permanently and totally disabled?

Question 2 reads:

Shall the Constitution be amended to require the General Assembly to provide a real property tax exemption for the principal residence of a veteran, or his or her surviving spouse, if the veteran has a 100 percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability?

Questions 1 and 2 deal with real estate taxation. Helping veterans, disabled, and elderly people is a noble goal, as is tax reduction; the means by which the assistance will be granted, however, is insidious.

America’s founders recognized inherent peril in progressive taxation: a citizen exempt from paying taxes that his neighbor must pay, has no incentive in keeping the tax low because he, himself, does not pay the tax.

Alexander Hamilton warned against multi-tiered real estate taxation schemes in Federalist 35:

“No tax can be laid on land which will not affect the proprietor of millions of acres as well as the proprietor of a single acre. Every land-holder will therefore have a common interest to keep the taxes on land as low as possible; and common interest may always be reckoned upon as the surest bond of sympathy.”

The disastrous results of nearly a century of progressive income taxation can be seen in present day America where 47% of U.S. households paid no federal income tax in 2009. Those paying no tax actually have a vested interest in seeing rates raised for federal income-taxpayers, in order to maintain their own tax-free status.

Virginians would be unwise to allow their system of property taxation to emulate the federal model of progressive income taxation with its designated “winners and losers” and special “protected” classes.

By adding more exceptions to the rule, Virginia Ballot Questions 1 and 2 continue the erosion of “flat” (i.e., equitable) real estate taxation in the Commonwealth, ultimately to the detriment of maintaining Hamilton’s referenced common interests in private property rights and ownership.

Ballot Question 3 fundamentally enlarges state government at the expense of ordinary citizens and the overall state economy.

Question 3 reads:

Shall Section 8 of Article X of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to increase the permissible size of the Revenue Stabilization Fund (also known as the “rainy day fund”) from 10 percent to 15 percent of the Commonwealth’s average annual tax revenues derived from income and retail sales taxes for the preceding three fiscal years?

Increasing the allowable size of Virginia’s “rainy day fund” by 50% is a colossally bad idea. The state is not a bank, an investment, or a savings account; it should hold as little of the people’s money as is practical.

Funds retained by government are unavailable to the state’s economy and thus stifle economic activity both of businesses and individuals.

In addition, fattening the state’s “slush” fund encourages growth in the size and scope of state government, and it is a disincentive to vital cost cutting and budget reform/reduction measures.

Disappointingly, many known “conservatives” publicly are supporting some or all of these constitutional amendments— each of which was passed unanimously in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly. In reality, legislators will reap political gain and political power from the passage of the measures: this is another opportunity to buy votes and to curry favor from large constituencies, all in the name of providing assistance.

As an entire class, property owners are deserving of relief from crushing real estate taxation in Virginia, but such reprieve granted piecemeal is detrimental to property rights and to America’s common interest in limited government. There are better and more American-centric ways to assist veterans, disabled, and elderly people. And, growing the ability of the state to confiscate—and ultimately spend—greater sums will further saddle taxpaying Virginians and encumber Virginia’s struggling economy.

Don’t be fooled by seemingly sympathetic subjects. Progressive taxation and government largesse have not benefited America in the preceding century. The 2010 ballot questions are bad news for liberty loving Virginians, and if passed, they will result in greater state control over our everyday lives.

Virginia Ballot Questions 2010: Vote NO on 1, 2, and 3.”

Local

There are a few local races of note. There is a Sheriff’s race in Roanoke County between Independent Mike Stovall and Incumbent Democrat Mike Winston. The Sheriff’s department in Roanoke County has been stripped of any meaningful power by the County and that power now resides in the Police Department.

One of the most important roles of any County Sheriff is his willingness to uphold his oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. Sheriff’s should serve the citizens of their county (when necessary)by defending them against unconstitutional Federal laws. Since all the Sheriff’s Department does in Roanoke County is run the prisons and other similar duties, we don’t see that this role has a critical role. So we don’t have a strong opinion about this race.

It should be noted that Winston is an incumbent Democrat that is endorsed by the Roanoke Times Editorial Board and Democratic State Senator John Edwards.  My first instinct in dealing with those entities is to do the opposite of whatever they support.

In Botetourt County, the Fincastle District Supervisor position has:

Larry Celola (R) Gwen Ickenberry (I) and Steve Vaughn (D) running. We don’t have a position on this race either.  A Q and A is here….

Larry is a good man and is solid on principles (other than not pledging unconditionally to not raise taxes) but none of the candidates have a strong enough grasp on local issues to garner an endorsement.  We wish GOP candidates would stop being wishy washy and just say they aren’t raising taxes….you can’t get an endorsement from us….if you don’t pledge to not raise taxes….period!

We hope that helps you sort out the myriad of issues on the ballot. We wish we could be more supportive of candidates but frankly, the lack of endoresments really speaks to the state of politics today. Until we get elected officials who understand and actually support our Constitution, we will never get our country out of the mess it is in today.

See you at the polls and at the party Tuesday night.

Chip Tarbutton

President

Roanoke Tea Party