North Lake TEA Party - Blog

Is this 2010 or 1920?

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:18:11 -0800

In 1921, Warren Harding became President in a situation much like today’s. The country was in a depression, the national debt was growing, unemployment was 20%, only then the country had experienced a period of high inflation. Not all that different from today with the exception of the high inflation (although that is very likely on its way).

Harding had a plan:

Cut government spending,
Reduce the national debt,
Reduce taxes,
Utilize a tariff to protect our industry,
Create a program to reduce farm bankruptcies,
Limit immigration to protect American jobs.

By 1922, after implementing his plan, the economy was already improving. Although Harding’s premature death did not allow him to see the results, Calvin Coolidge elected to continue Harding’s policies. The result was the “roaring twenties”. Unemployment fell to 3%, unemployment and inflation declined, while Gross National Product rose an average of 7% from 1924 to 1929. Productivity, wages and profits also grew rapidly during the 1920’s.

Harding slashed federal spending by two billion dollars from Wilson’s final budget (that was a lot in the 1920s) and Coolidge limited spending to 3.3 billion dollars for the rest of the decade, while the tax cuts resulted in increased revenues. The net result was that Wilson’s debt was reduced by a third. Lower taxes and increasing growth made the middle class prosper. More people were able to afford luxury goods as well as have more time to enjoy life. The technology of the time also boomed with the development of affordable household appliances appearing in middle class homes.

The policies of Harding and Coolidge created and era of prosperity we would not experience again until the Reagan tax cuts in the 1980’s. The one significant difference between Harding and Coolidge, and the Reagan years is they were able to slash spending while Reagan was never able to get that done. While some blame the stock market crash of 1929 and the depression that followed on the policies of Harding and Coolidge, those charges are simple not true. Good times do lead to over confidence and over confidence leads people to take excessive risks and speculate. This was true in the twenties as well as recent years. These excessive risks can cause markets to fall. However, then as now, it is the errors of policy makers during those speculative corrections that cause depressions. If governments were to act to curb excessive speculation as it grew, rather than using its aftermath as an excuse to expand government, recessions might still occur but they would prove to be short and shallow events which would serve to curb excesses and realign resources, rather than result in traumatic events like the one we are currently experiencing.

Today our government is patterning its response to the current recession after Roosevelt’s ten years of pain in the thirties. Those lost years resulted from government expansion, increased regulation and make work spending programs like the Administration is proposing today. If it were not for the Second World War, no one knows how long the depression would have lasted. The Obama Administration is predicting a long, slow recovery. Some are talking about a “new normal” of minimal growth and high unemployment. Based upon the policies they are currently implementing they are probably right. However, if we followed a course similar to Harding’s, we could create a new era of prosperity and growth for our country. Tax cuts are great but only if paired with spending restraint.

While many are proud to proclaim themselves to be "Reagan Conservatives" perhaps we should all become "Harding Conservatives."

2009 Year of Awakening...2010 Year of Reckoning

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 07:22:07 -0800

Dear North Lake TEA Party Patriots,
If 2009 was the year of Awakening, then 2010 will be the year of Reckoning! I'd like to take a moment and recap what the NLTP accomplished in 2009. Remember, YOU are the North Lake TEA Party. Over 1,000 Patriots were "Silent No More!" on April 15th. You came out of your homes and places of business at noon on a Wednesday to declare that you had had enough and you weren't going to take it anymore. The movement began.
We continued at the steps of Eustis City Hall on May 6th for the National Day of Prayer, a street protest on June 14th in honor of National Flag Day and an explosive July 4th TEA Party with an attendance of over 1200 Patriots! Locally, we showed up to defeat the city of Eustis' property purchase with money they didn't have, helped defeat the city of Tavares' from assessing churches and non-profits with a fire tax, and helped defeat Lake County moving forward with a $95 million dollar extravagent Judicial Center. Did I mention we did all that in one week? That's right, we even threw in a Healthcare Protest in front of Grayson's Tavares office that same week.
Speaking of Healthcare, we attended AARP's farce of a meeting in Leesburg and helped educate those in attendance by clarifying AARP's true position on the proposed bill and answer questions. That was a lot of fun :)    What Congress planned on passing last year hasn't happened yet. Do you know why? Patriots like YOU have been tirelessly and relentlessly calling, writing and protesting. What else hasn't been passed? Cap and Tax is still waiting on the sidelines and without YOU, may have been law by now. It was a great summer of town hall meetings and NLTP meetings followed. Our motto of "Education and Action" was certainly being employed!
On Sept. 12th over 100 folks from Lake County traveled to Washington DC for the Taxpayer March on Washington and joined 2 million of our best Patriot friends from across the Nation. Once home, we shared slides and stories with those who were unable to attend. It was great time of inspiration and continued resolve to grow our movement. Of course throughout all of the above, communication through NLTP Posts helped coordinate our emails and calls to our Congressmen and Congresswomen. Did you feel like your voice was heard? I didn't either. However, in unison with millions of Patriots across America, much HAS been accomplished and we HAVE made a difference! Did I mention another product of our North Lake TEA Party movement? I'm running for Alan Grayson's seat. Your voice deserves to be heard. As I said, 2010 will be the Year of Reckoning! It begins now, at our first NLTP meeting of the year Wednesday, January13 6th at 6:30pm at the Tavares Civic Center. More details can be found here: www.NorthLakeTeaParty.com I look forward to seeing you there as we begin writing our plan of action for how YOU will continue to make an impact locally and nationally. Your ideas and input and presence are appreciated! Without YOU, there is no NLTP.
In service,
Patricia Sullivan

A Message From Dave Re: Grayson Town Hall Oct. 12th

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:30:04 -0800

Have Sign...Will Travel: Here are the details for welcoming our Congressman to Lake County. Be at 6951 Old US 441 in Mt. Dora at 4:15, on Monday, October 12. He will be dining at Ki Ku Restaurant at 5. Park on the berm on 441 so there will be no private property issues.

From there he is going to the Tavares Civic Center. Doors open at 6:30, if you want a pass to get in, call his office at 407.841.1757. They will email you a pass so you don't have to stand in line. I will be outside with our sign carrying Patriots.

Tailgate Party: As soon as Grayson arrives, we will move to Tavares. I received the following note from one of our Patriots: "We own Ft. Smith Professional Center which is two blocks West of the Civic Center in Tavares. People can park there in our parking lot and all up and down Texas Avenue both ways". That means the Tailgate Party is on. The offering will be a sandwich, chips, and an apple for $5. Once again, the Garden Gate in Mt. Dora is preparing the food. If you were there for the last Tailgate Party you will remember how tasty it is. Please RSVP so I know how many to purchase. You may pay at the party. The party will take place at 5:30 to 5:45 in case you are unable to attend the Mt Dora event.

After the Party, we will walk down to the Civic Center to be there in time for Grayson's arrival. If you are new to the wonderful world of signs, ideas for what to say were in the last email. He is scheduled to arrive at 7, so the timing is perfect, we will be there about 6:30-6:45.

Regarding the Presidential Address to Our Children... From Patriot Donna Hendricks

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:05:40 -0800

Hello Parents For those of you with children in public schools who wish to educate your educators on what the Federal government, The President and Mr. Duncan, Director of the US Department of Education wishes to do to our current system, Send them all this assignment: Dear Principal, Superintendent, Lawmakers, etc IN reply to your approval to accepting a lesson plan from the President and the US Department of Education and disrupt my child's education with this new "civic lesson" I demand that you watch this video with Mr. Duncan explaining how he intends on running the US Department of Education. Afterwards, I demand answer the following 12 simple questions and return this to me today. Non-compliance is not an option. Send this video http://www.ed.gov/news/av/video/2009/04/04282009a.html 1) What are the four goals Mr. Duncan wishes to advance while he is the director of the US Department of Education? 2) Do you disagree with his assessment that "50 States doing their own thing doesn't really make sense?" 3) Have you, as Mr. Duncan states, ever lied to your students (my child) that your curriculum will help promote them through their education "career?" 4) Would you like the State and Local School Board systems to be abolished for a single "common" Federal Education system as Mr. Duncan intends on building? 5) Do you think it is acceptable for the Federal Government to obtain each students (my child's) education records so that "WE KNOW" (the US Department of Education in Washington, DC) everything about each minor in this country? 6) Do you think that by the US Dept. of EDU sending a homework assignment directly to schools, disregarding our current laws and system to review material and approval process through the state and local school boards is appropriate for the US Department of Education to partake in? 7) What type of assignment would you object to that comes to you in this manor? 8) Do you think that the Federal Government should have the power to re-assign teachers from one school to another in the name of "fairness" regardless of where the teacher wishes to teach? 9) Do you think a "common experience" throughout out each of these 50 states can be achieved through the Federal Government taking over our current education system? 10) What do you think would happen to all our local and regional cultures and history if we allowed the federal government to spread its will over all of us without regard the local people? 11) Will you join the parents in protecting our current state and local education system, allowing the people who know the children in their school district to keep jurisdiction over the curriculum of your school? 12) Will you refuse any assignments that come to you from the US Department of Education with going through the normal process every other bit of material MUST go through prior to bringing it to the children (my child) in your school in the future? That's what I'd do. Donna

The Direction of the North Lake TEA Party

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:08:44 -0800

Greetings North Lake TEA Party Patriots!

Things have changed so rapidly in the NLTP, we felt we ought to restate where we have been and where we are going.

From the beginning, the focus of the NLTP has been to return America to the Constitution and the liberties guaranteed therein. Our dedication to this goal has been unwavering and it is probably the main reason you became a North Lake TEA Party Patriot. The TEA Party has on several occasions held sign protests and made a public stand for our values of limited government, fiscal responsibility and free markets. We anticipate the the NLTP will continue with these activities and we will update you as urgent local, state and national issues arise.

With the NLTP values in mind, how do we find candidates who hold true to these conservative values? We believe this must be a grassroots effort starting in our local precincts.

If you were at the July 4th TEA Party, you heard from one of our speakers, Monte Bateman, from the Independence Caucus. Icaucus has a vetting process for determining if a candidate has conservative principles that would be required for a return to Constitutional values. In an effort to ensure the NLTP endorses conservative candidates, we will be employing this process. The NLTP will also be organizing future townhall forums that will allow our local community the opportunity to get to know these candidates.

Our North Lake TEA Party has been successful because of YOU! Without you, we remain the Silent Majority. We commend you for the stand you have already made by joining this movement. Now we ask you to go one step further. If you haven't already, please visit www.icaucus.ning.com and join the Independence Caucus. A VITAL component of this caucus are the educational videos that we would request you begin watching. It will be the missing link in the question you may be asking: "How did we get here?" You will be able to participate in webinars such as "Crucial Conversations" that will empower you to ask probing questions of family and friends. The benefits are many.

Our Nation can be returned to it's Founding Principles, but we must start locally and we must start now.

"It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." -- Samuel
Adams

In service,
Patricia Sullivan and Dave VonGunten

Action Alert on Cap and Trade! Melt the Phone Lines TODAY!

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:09:32 -0800

Dear North Lake TEA Party Patriots,
The Tea Party Patriots "Congressional Weasel Watch" is on high alert: Congressional Code Red!
You must act today! Do not wait another minute before you make these calls. We are Silent No More! Call your Congressman to express your views on this legislation.

HR 2454 The American Clean Energy & Security Act (Previously named CAP & TRADE) is out of committee and coming to the floor of the House of Representatives for a Fast Track vote on Friday, June 26th.

Call your Congressman and tell them NO today! When calling your representative, do not use the words "Cap & Trade." You need to use "HR 2454 ACES ACT" when speaking with their offices.

Please contact your own Congressman and also the following representatives who are on the fence about how they will vote on the legislation. With your phone calls, perhaps they can be persuaded to vote NO on this legislation!

We need you to call today! This cannot wait another day, as this needs your attention now!

This is all you need to say when contacting your Congressman:

Hi my name is _______________from YOUR TOWN AND ZIP CODE.
I am a Tea Party Patriot.

I am calling today to tell Congressman/woman to vote NO on HR 2454 ACES Act. I cannot afford any more taxes. Don't tax me for the air I breath and the energy I use.

OR

Hi my name is ___________________ and I'm a Tea Party Patriot, from (YOUR TOWN AND ZIP CODE).

I am calling to ask the Congressman/woman to vote NO on the ACES Act (The Climate Change Bill).

I can not afford an increase in my electricity, gas or consumer
products. This is not a tax on the polluters as President Obama
stated, this IS a tax on every American.

Rep. Brown-Waite, Ginny (R-FL-5th) 202.225.1002

Rep. Grayson, Alan (D-FL-8th) 202.225.2176

Please forward this information onto all of your family, friends, social circle, and email list. We need to encourage everyone to make these calls. We cannot be silent on this legislation. We must act today!

Protest ABC's "Informercial" for President's Health Care Plan

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:43:26 -0800

Greetings Patriots!
For the Fathers: Happy Father's Day! What a blessing it is to be able to raise children in the "land of the free." Will our children be able to say the same?

Please read this message from the Independence Caucus and find out what you can do to make a difference now for generations to come. If not you, who? If not now, when?
Andrew Jackson said "One man with courage makes a majority." Be the one.

"Fellow Patriots,
This message is likely the most important message you will receive today. Please take a moment to read it, act on it and please send it to your entire email address book, your Facebook friends, and anyone else you can think of who is a friend of liberty. Also call your local (or even national) conservative talk show host to get the word out as far and wide and fast as possible.
On Wednesday June 24th 2009 ABC will be airing an "informercial" for Obama to sell us his Nationalized Health Care Plan. They have billed this as a "Conversation on Healthcare" and yet they are not allowing the other side of the "conversation" to be heard. Just like the Russian Government run news organization TASS, ABC is becoming a state run news organization for our new socialist government and they are not allowing any alternate points of view to be aired in juxtaposition to their broadcast.
There are two problems with this "infomercial." The first problem I have already mentioned, where our first Amendment rights are being encroached upon by the creation of a quasi-state-run media (it wouldn't surprise me if Obama is on the verge of appointing a media Czar in the near future). The second, and more immediate concern is the shameless promotion of a National Health Care Program in an infomercial format without any objective reporting on the issue, or the ability to show any kind of alternate program or point of view. Once again, the government is setting things up to try to ram things down our throat that We The People do not want and cannot afford for us or for our children. We MUST stand up and be heard!
We cannot stand idly by and see our media hijacked and become a state-run media outlet orchestrated by Obama's administration, nor can we simply let this National Health Care Initiative be foisted upon us without putting up any resistance. It's time for us to act. The last time we mobilized, the media tried to ignore and marginalize us. We will not be ignored! We invite every able bodied freedom loving American to rally outside of their local ABC affiliate TV station with signs, airhorns, and other noisemaking devices so that we get their attention this time. The slogan "Silent Majority No More" can no longer remain just a slogan, it's time to show that we are NOT silent anymore. Make it sound like midnight on New Years Eve in front of every ABC affiliate TV station across the country. Make them send their reporters out to cover it live. Continue the rally through their news hour so our fellow Americans can realize how many of us share the same view. We know that this keeps you up a little later than usual however, a little sleep lost now is better than liberties lost later. Unusual times call for unusual measures."...

Groups from around Central Florida like the TEA Parties, ResistNet, 9/12 and others are pulling together to protest outside the Orlando WFTV station on Wednesday, June 24 beginning at 4pm. Originally scheduled for 8pm, groups have decided we would have a greater opportunity to be covered on the evening news if we began at 4pm. Will this be inconvenient for you? Yes. Is it worth the inconvenience? You tell me if it would have been worth it when our country is unrecognizable to our children. I don't want to tell my grandchildren stories about the days when reality was broadcast on TV, not just gov't propaganda.
I hope you will join us. More information will be posted on our Facebook group page under events by this evening, but join the group now to get the updates later: /www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=75875334467&ref=ts

God Bless you and God Keep America.
In service,
Patricia Sullivan

City of Eustis Alert!

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:00:36 -0800

Dear TEA Party Patriots,
I received an email today and with permission I have cut and pasted part of it for you because we need to be on top of this issue. If you know someone who lives in Eustis, please forward this email to them.
The Eustis City Commission meeting will start tomorrow at 6pm, then they will have this workshop at 8pm and give the public the opportunity to speak.
Here is part of that email:
"I also want to remind all our TEA Partiers that "overtaxing and overspending starts at home!" which may explain why the City of Eustis is discussing a plan to spend $5.8 million to buy the old hospital property. They think if they own it, they can get a developer to buy it from them and revitalize downtown. Problem is, the property's been on the market for several years now an d no one else wants to buy it. Oh, and the city doesn't have that kind of money, so they plan to finance it by going into debt! Then, they'll have to spend several hundred thousand dollars every year to service the debt. Where's that coming from? Out of the Community Redevelopment Agency money (used to help blighted areas - downtown is hardly blighted) and from the Penny Sales Tax money. Turns out, the penny sales tax money is normally used to buy police cars, bullet-proof vests, fire trucks, asphalt and conrete to repair sidewalks. Won't be able to buy any of those for the forseeable future if the commissioners vote to buy this property. Yes, I'm annoyed about this, but there's still two sides to every story. Interested citizens from Eustis and surrounding areas can hear more at a workshop scheduled for Thursday, June 4th at 8:00 at City Hall. Come early to get a seat. The city has also scheduled a vote on this issue for Thursday, June 18th at 6:00 pm at City Hall."

This is where the rubber meets the road folks.
In service
Patricia Sullivan

Latest Rasmussen Report on Taxes

Tue, 26 May 2009 06:04:15 -0800

From RasmussenReports.com

For nearly four-out-of-five U.S. voters, the problem is not their unwillingness to pay taxes. It’s their elected representatives’ refusal to cut the size of government.

Seventy-seven percent (77%) of voters say the bigger problem in the United States is the unwillingness of politicians to control government spending. Just 14% say the problem is that voters are unwilling to pay enough in taxes, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

These findings parallel results in California just before voters there rejected several ballot initiatives aimed at raising taxes. After that vote on Tuesday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested the state might need federal financial help, but voters nationwide oppose any bailouts for California and other economically troubled states.

Just 28% of all voters say, generally speaking, that increases in government spending help the economy, down seven points from February. Fifty-three percent (53%) now believe spending increases hurt the economy, and seven percent (7%) say they have no impact.

Seventy-nine percent (79%) of Republicans and 61% of unaffiliated voters believe increased government spending hurts the economy. Democrats tend to hold the opposite view--49% of those in Barack Obama’s party think more government spending is good for the economy, while just 27% say it hurts.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls.) Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter.

As is frequently the case, the gap between Mainstream America and the Political Class on the question is wider than that between political parties. While 90% of Mainstream Americans see the bigger problem as a failure to cut government spending, the Political Class is evenly divided over whether voters or politicians are more to blame.

When it comes to the economic impact of increased government spending, the Political Class is once again out of step with the rest of the nation--83% of the Political Class believes such spending helps the economy.

Most voters believe that tax cuts are good for the economy. When Congress was wrestling with the president’s $787-billion economic stimulus plan in early February, 62% of voters said the plan should include more tax cuts and less government spending.

In fact, 52% of voters now believe they pay more than their fair share of taxes.However, 54% of the Political Class disagree.

Fifty-one percent (51%) of Americans had a favorable opinion of last month’s “tea parties,” while just 33% disapproved.
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A Memorial Day Prayer from a TEA Party Patriot

Mon, 25 May 2009 16:39:38 -0800

Dear Friends,

Today is Memorial Day; a time set aside since the Civil War to
honor our fallen military and remember their sacrifice and commitment
on our behalf. Over time, it has evolved to also honor those living who
have served or are serving.

I ask you to pray for our nation; for a restoration of the principals and values
for which our armed men and women died in the past.

I ask for prayer for those families who have lost loved ones in service to this
country, or who have wounded warriors struggling to make a new life.

I ask you to thank God for those who have served in the past, and pray for those
young people currently serving; that God would protect and guide them, and
provide for their families at home.

And if you are a veteran, or currently serving, I thank God for YOU, and for your
service to this country!

Blessings,
MaryBeth Erdmann