[DavidFarrar]

With this one statement, the Tea Party Nation's leaders have told all Tea Party supporters that they haven't a clue why under successive Democratic and Republican administrations, government growth, higher taxes and/or ever increasing deficits have continued unabated. With this one statement, they will be asking all Tea Party organizations to ban together under the false premise that everything will be alright if only the U.S. Constitution was strictly followed. That, my fellow Tea Partiers, is the most dangerous misconception any Tea Party organization attending this convention should allow to stand unchallenged.

The reason why it is so dangerous is that it will allow the Republican Party, via its corporate wing, to completely subsume the Tea Party movement, and continue the pursuit of its own political agenda of government growth, higher taxes and/or deficits, and less liberty for all for years to come.

By allowing Republican candidates, or any candidates, to simply cross their hearts and swear to strictly uphold the constitution, nothing will change. A candidate wishing to earning Tea Party support must also reconize and acknowledge the need to change the present power structure between we the people and our government. Without taking back some of the power we the people once gave our three branches of government via the constitution over two-hundred years ago, nothing will change.

I have put together a list of political planks to give my fellow Tea Party supporters an idea of the size and scope of the power transfer that needs to take place, either by a Constitutional convention or by the amendment process to the Bill of Rights, that will actually lay the political predicate for change. This list is not written in stone, and can be added to or planks withdrawn. It's purpose is to raise the consciousness of the people to what must be changed in order to be in a position to even expect change regardless of who is elected to public office or why.

1. Congressional Term Limits: One four or six year term*

2. Members of Congress shall purchase their own individual retirement plans.

3. Members of Congress shall participate in the general Social Security system.

4. Members of Congress shall no longer be able to vote themselves pay raises. Congressional pay raises should be approved at the ballot box by the general electorate

5. Members of Congress shall not be given any special health care benefits not accessible by all Americans

6. Members of Congress shall be barred from enacting laws that usurp Private Enterprise under the general welfare provisions of the U.S. Constitution.

7. Members of Congress shall equally abide by all laws enacted and impose on all.

8. Members of Congress shall enact the flat tax, with no exemptions up to a set amount.

8a. Members of Congress shall restore the federal income tax deduction for medical expenses, including medical insurance expenses

9. Members Congress shall call for a Congressional investigation to address Barack Obama’s presidential qualifications as per Article II, Section I, Clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution, as well as any future president and vice-president.

10. Members of Congress shall call for a Constitutional Convention to take away the power of the executive branch of government, or the legislative branch, to print money without the consent of the electorate, except in extremis cases, where a two/thirds majority would be required by Congress and approved by the general electorate at the next election.

11. No person holding political office shall declare for another office without first resigning their present office.

12. All candidates running for public office shall not be allowed to accept campaign contributions from outside the district they wish to represent.

13. Congress shall repeal employer withholding of taxes.

14. Each bill addressed by Congress must have a Constitutional declaration or it will be non-binding.

15. Enact voter verification procedures to insure accurate elections.

16. Any labor contracts served by the collection of public taxes are strictly limited to the taxes collected, including pension plans.

17. Eminent domain cannot be used by the state to benefit a private entity.

18. Children of illegal aliens are not U.S. citizens but citizens of their parents country.

19. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives shall create independent investigative offices to address ethics charges against the executive branch of government.

20. Members of Congress shall pass federal legislation that outlaws gerrymandering in congressional and in state legislative districts to put an end to the Incumbency Protection Plan of Washington.

ex animo davidfarrar

[Wonder Warthog]

Balderdash. Go take a valium. If we actually stuck to the Constitution AS WRITTEN, most of today’s problems would go away.

[Iron Munro]

Just eliminate gold-plated retirement plans for the Senate and Congress and several of these items will be taken care of.

[VRWCmember]

1. Congressional Term Limits: One four or six year term*

David, are you calling for a constitutional amendment to redefine congressional terms? There is no such thing as a four-year term for either house, so to create a one four year term as a term limit would require a constitutional amendment to change the length of a congressional term. I think term limits are good and needed, but it would obviously need to be a little bit more nuanced than the incorrectly stated first plank in your platform.

[oldenuff2no]

I usually read the liberal talking points on the other place. What is your handle over there??????

[VRWCmember]

20. Members of Congress shall pass federal legislation that outlaws gerrymandering in congressional and in state legislative districts to put an end to the Incumbency Protection Plan of Washington.

Gerrymandering is reprehensible, but you want the federal government to further intrude on the power of state legislatures to define and administer the district lines within their respective boundaries?

[smokingfrog]

Looks like you have to be a member to view most of the stuff on that site.

Some good suggestions there but how many are actually doable? Which do you think are most important?

A Constitutional Convention would be a rather dangerous thing to at this point, don't you think?

[jiggyboy]

You haven’t been paying enough attention. For starters, Ron Paul has long suggested that we do away with income tax withholding, and it’s a sound bite at every Tea Party that “if the new healthcare bill is so good, why does Congress exempt itself from it?”.

[DesertRhino]

Constitutional convention is the fastest way to lose our freedoms. Anything seen as “1770s” would get tossed. And furthermore,, attempts to make the tea party *protests* into a “tea political party* only serve the democrats.

No third party movement. FAR easier to reform the repubs than start from nothing. The Dems are a revolutionary socialist party and are beyond reform. A third party only helps the Dems.

[MrB]

Are you related to Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr?

[o_zarkman44]

All sounds good. But our local group is going to focus on getting the right politicians in place first.

Overlooking the big picture will be the point of fracture that will keep any tea party from becoming a political party. It’s all fine to demand Constitutional restoration. But the process of encroachment took decades, and the changes back towards rule of law will also take time. Wasting effort on unrealistic short term goals takes away from those achievable goals.

Work with the people we have. Or replace them. Everything else will fall in place depending on the strength of the candidates we elect.

We don’t need any damn convention telling grassroots America what we already know.

[GeronL]

The corporate wing? Don’t they give to both parties? lol.

They won’t be very happy when a conservative government cuts off anti-competitive regulations, subsidies and crap.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

1. Congressional Term Limits: One four or six year term*

First, there is no Congressman who serves a four year term, so that immediately shows that this is a list set down by emotion rather than fact.

Second, term limits empower the bureaucracy by shifting power from the elected official who must face responsibility at the ballot box towards the unelected staffers who run the show 90% of the time already.

Want to get rid of a corrupt Congressman? Vote him out of office. If he keeps getting re-elected, then he must represent the views of his district.

Educating people (the phrase "You get what you vote for" works as an opener when someone starts criticizing the government) and getting others to consider their votes worth something will turn this country around.

Not a list of demands that aren't thought through and have no chance of being implemented by those is charge.

[r9etb]

Sorry, David ... that platform is an out-and-out mess.

[editor-surveyor]

You’ve just proven that you lack a basic understanding of our federal government.

1. Term limits are insane! (governance by the incompetent)

2. Any law passed by congress can be revoked by the next congress.

Only a slate of constitutional ammendments can accomplish the goals that you persue (not a convention - that would undo the founding of this country)

[the_conscience]

Principle before policy.