OPINION:
Columnists Thomas Friedman of the New York Times and Kathleen Parker of The Washington Post this week joined politicians in bashing Tea Party members, including Republican members of Congress. They all used similar wording, comparing the Tea Party’s members to terrorists, and said the party was out to destroy the country.
In his 2009 State of the Union address, President Obama pledged to reduce our debt by half by the end of his first term and to focus on the economy and create jobs. Partisan measures backed by Mr. Obama and Democrats had the opposite effect. The debt and deficit grew at the highest rate in our history, and Obamacare and the president’s other legislation, executive orders and regulations have restricted businesses from hiring. Essentially, they have killed jobs and destroyed our economy.
Fortunately, a diverse group of concerned citizens have recognized the disastrous effects and have been able to attract like-minded people of all political persuasions to join with them to make their concerns and voices heard. While they have echoed some of the Republican desires for lower taxes, smaller government and a strong military, they have been equally critical of members of both parties who were responsible for the problems.
In the 2010 midterm elections, they worked to elect conservatives who would be fiscally responsible and do what was necessary to restore our country. Their effort achieved a Republican majority in the House and increased the number of Senate Republicans.
Repeal of Obamacare has had a high priority in their camp because it is a job killer and a huge deficit producer and mandates that every individual purchase health insurance, impinging on individual rights and freedom of choice.
I am not a Tea Party member, but I share their concerns. They do not deserve criticism for trying to rescue our country from the brink of disaster, and they deserve to be praised for their efforts on behalf of all our citizens.
MARVIN L. HOOVIS
Centerville, Mass.
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