Jan. 9 event involved 12 speakers from across state
By Tim Smith
Harney Tea Party Committee for Burns Times-Herald
Harney County and Southeast Oregon citizens hosted their first People’s Tea Party on Saturday, Jan. 9. About 300 citizens gathered in Burns, in spite of typical cold winter conditions, to listen to and question 12 speakers from across Oregon about the issues that are facing Oregon and the nation.
The emphasis of the Tea Party was on tax Measures 66 and 67 and controlling the infringement of government on the private sector. Other topics of concern were cap and trade, education, water, job creation, patriotism, federal control of health care, freedom of speech and voter importance.
Participants of the Harney Tea Party, held at the Burns Elks Lodge included the Cascade Policy Institute, Oregonians In Action, FreedomWorks, Americans For Prosperity, Harney County 9/12, Harney County Republicans, Oregon Firearms Federation, Senator Ted Ferrioli, Allen Alley, Common Sense for Oregon and Voter Impact Project. Local citizens participated with the speakers in four public comment and question and answer periods.
All of the speakers present had some firm common opinions. They warned that passing Measures 66 and 67 would be economically disastrous for Oregon and that these measures were not at all about cutting education, as suggested by ads; they encouraged all citizens to stay involved and be more informed; and were glad to see that Harney County is clearly concerned about its future.
After five hours of presentations and discussions about the need for changes in our government, the participants completed the program with a pledge adapted from the Declaration of Independence. The participants stood and solemnly pledged — “We here assembled do pledge to right these wrongs, to return our nation to the people and to reaffirm and reinstitute the principles of our founding fathers and Constitution. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”
Sponsorship for the event came solely from local citizens and organizations. A second Harney County People’s Tea Party is planned for late summer 2010.
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January 21st, 2010 at 2:39 pm
I’m sure everyone is contented with my decision to stay home from the tea party. It would have been good to be happy, to share the joy of living with those whom are alive and well. As for the pledge Tim Smith writes to us, I have no idea what he’s talking about. Furthermore, I was appalled that 2 Measures 66&67 took up the entire side of the ballot. I suppose you thought I’m literate and know how to read?
I returned a blank ballot, making no mark upon it. Good luck and good health to everyone. I hope all your dreams come true and you can shrug off or erase all your nightmares when you don’t want your life to go that way.
January 24th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
The problem is the difficulties facing America took years to get this bad. Our “instant society” though thinks a solution should be just as easy as a snap of the fingers. I don’t care for Obama, but if people think he would just be elected and fix everything right off…they are wrong. Nor do the republicans have any better solutions except to say “vote for us because the other guys aren’t fixing it”. And now, Americans will vote for anyone who smiles and joins the crowd in griping against whoever is in charge. It took years to get here, it will take many years to fix. And none of these elected officials will do it. They are too worried about saving their own jobs and getting the perks we so graciously provide with our overly stretched tax dollar.
Republican. Democrat. Two sides of the same coin. Toss them all out and elect common people who haven’t lost touch with reality or who live in tax funded houses and get tax payer funded medical care. Or else make these “public servants” do the job for minimum wage and the same benefits as your average worker gets. Then see how long they want the job.
Want to return things to how the founding fathers did them? Then read the Constitution and figure out for yourself what those principles are. Don’t go by what some self-important blowhard seeking election of public notoriety tells you. Go by your own gut instinct and morals and then work to better things based on that. Then go serve in some public office if you can or want. Not for glory or advancement or to push some other fatcat’s agenda…but because you think you can do the right thing and genuinely care about what is going on.
January 26th, 2010 at 12:15 am
**Yawn**
May 6th, 2010 at 6:26 am
The Tea Party is often linked to having close ties with the Republicans. This is not true. There are all types drawn to the priciples of the Tea Party. One particpant is Conservative Democrat Loren Hooker. He is now running an underdog campaign with limited exposure and funds against the professional politicians. Remember the old saying, “if you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you will keep getting the same results”. Loren Hooker has the ethics and the ingenuity to help the country go where it needs to go. People like him can help the Democrats get their party back away from the Progressive Socialist that seem to have a strangle hold on it now.