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Tea party speakers: Ballot box is battleground
Against the backdrop of a brewing thunderstorm, about 50 people gathered for a Tea Party rally on the steps of Memorial Hall Thursday evening.
Those attending were urged to make their voices heard at the ballot box and write their state legislators and representatives to let lawmakers know what they want. Out of 125 members of the Kansas House of Representatives, 35 were new and Tea Party members made a difference, said Rep. Caryn Tyson. "You may not be the one casting the vote (in the legislature), but you can by reaching out to them."
The Parker Republican noted one vote can make a big difference -- it took one vote to put Hitler into office, one vote to pass women's suffrage and one to stop a recount in the 2000 presidential election.
In this vein, organizer Gayle Sackett said Congress would not have cut $38 billion in spending -- as it recently agreed to as part of averting a government shutdown -- if it hadn't been for "your efforts in the past two years."
Sackett told those attending that Tea Party members are not what some have defined them as -- perfectionists, purists, kooks, radicals. Instead, they have common sense. "We value family and hard work," Sackett said, adding they insist on a strong education, including post-secondary. She said this is the first time it's feared youngsters now won't have a better standard of living than the previous generation.
Former State Rep. District 2 candidate Jeff Locke spoke on the fair tax and E-Verify. E-Verify, a free, web-based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security in partnership with the Social Security Administration, compares information from the Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9) against federal government databases to verify workers' employment eligibility. The system facilitates compliance with federal immigration laws and helps to deter unauthorized individuals from attempting to work and also helps employers avoid hiring unauthorized aliens, the DHS website said.
In Kansas, Locke claims, the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitative Services has wasted $200-$400 million on illegal immigrants, and the state, $1.1 million on in-state tuition for illegal immigrants as well.
The fair tax, according to www.fairtax.org, is a comprehensive proposal that replaces all federal income and payroll based taxes with an integrated approach. It includes a progressive national retail sales tax; a prebate to ensure no American pays federal taxes on spending up to the poverty level; dollar-for-dollar federal revenue neutrality and repeal of the 16th Amendment through companion legislation.
He said if the fair tax were in place, people and businesses would flock to Kansas.
"If we don't get out and vote and be informed, we cannot change things," he said. "... If we don't get out in 2012, we are going to lose what we gained."
Audience members were also invited to speak at the event. Following up on Tyson's mention of women's right to vote, Gerald Kerr said women have played a large role in the Tea Party. "It is unbelievably refreshing and encouraging, the power and courage these women have," he said. "I'm thrilled to see it and humbled by it. ... You will make the difference eventually on the social issues, as well as the political and economic issues."
He added government is the most fair and most efficient at the local level and the further you get from that, the less fair and efficient it gets. Kerr said he was shocked by the recent passage of the half-cent sales tax to fund rebuilding of the municipal swimming pool and adding on to Buck Run Community Center. "If we don't put a stop to spending and taxing on the local level," it won't happen at the state and federal level, Kerr said.
Gary Hamilton said the only place to fight this battle is at the ballot box. "If they (lawmakers) don't do what I want, they'll be out as fast as they got there," he said.
Roger Wood, a coordinator for the Kansas Tea Party Patriots, said he doesn't just blame one party for the current state of the country and the Tea Party needs to be bold because it doesn't have special interests backing it. "I don't care if they think I'm mean," Wood said. "I'm getting too old to put up with this."
Although there have been larger numbers at the two previous Tea Party rallies, Sackett said things went well. "I'm glad to see the turnout. People came out despite the weather," Sackett said.