Supporters not so easily pegged

Anyone who thinks the Tea Party is Republican or Democrat doesn’t get it. I’ve seen the events and find that the Tea Partiers are people like you or me who are afraid that the central government is getting too much control of our lives while the leadership isn’t listening to the people.

They feel the press of higher taxes being proposed or levied or their livelihood being threatened. They see corporate welfare being doled out from both sides of the aisle. People see the huge spending of money that doesn’t really exist and are afraid. Some of us remember the 12 percent inflation of the mid-1970s and worry those days are around the corner again.

They see the people who claim the “mess” was all the fault of one administration as too partisan at best or liars at worst, when the reality is the mess involves many reasons that are the result of decisions and laws passed by both sides of the congressional aisle, the executive department and the private groups entrusted with the running the system over many years.

They feel the representatives don’t really represent the people but are beholden to big business or big unions or some other big block of influence that doesn’t relate to their immediate circumstance.

Many feel that government should be setting the climate and the conditions for individuals to develop and succeed or fail on their own effort. They see the job of government is to “promote” the general welfare, not “provide” it. Those are the Tea Partiers and to tag them as one political party or another is an error that will show come election time.

Bill Gadberry

Everett

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