By Art Gallagher
The Bayshore Tea Party Group has started the process of evaluating incumbent Republican office holders with an eye towards possible nominating challenges, according to the group’s co-founder Barbara Gonzalez.
“We’re very angry at Republicans,” Gonzalez said in a phone interview with MoreMonmouthMusings, “but we’re not going to primary someone just for the sake of it. We have committees meeting to evaluate office holders’ records and postions. Many conservatives, not just the Tea Party feel we have no representation.”
Under the Party By-Laws passed by Monmouth GOP Chairman John Bennett last September, there is a new process by which incumbents on the County and State level can be challenged at nominating conventions. Gonzalez, who is also a member of the Monmouth GOP Board of Directors due to a provision in the new By-Laws, would not rule out challenges at the convention or in a primary should convention challenges fail.
The Monmouth GOP convention is scheduled for March 23, 8:30 A.M. at Colts Neck High School.
Posted: January 22nd, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Bayshore Tea Party Group, Monmouth County Republican Committee, Monmouth GOP | Tags: Barabara Gonzalez, John Bennett, Monmouth GOP | 13 Comments »
By Barbara Gonzalez, published in The Press (formerly The Asbury Park Press) on August 12, 2012
As the founder of The Bayshore Tea Party, I must take exception to the Press’ Aug. 7 editorial, “The deadly sins of the Tea Party.” It showed a lack of understanding about the Tea Party, our motives and objectives. But it did reveal a lot about the mindset of the editors.
The editorial states that refusal to raise the debt ceiling would constitute the “first default in American history.” In 1933, President Roosevelt confiscated privately held gold. In 1971, President Nixon took the U.S. off the gold standard.
We are upset, not “angry” as the editorial stated, that the actions of the federal government have put each and every American over $46,000 in debt to creditors.
We are upset Congress has “borrowed” $2.6 trillion of the assets in the Social Security Trust Fund, which they have no way to pay back. Borrowing of this nature in private enterprise is called embezzlement, but in the world of politics it is called an “investment.”
We believe the president and Congress engaged in “intellectual sloth” by passing the health care bill without reading it.
The editorial asserted that federal, state and local income taxes are at historical lows. It only mentioned federal, state and local income taxes. It failed to take into account payroll, sales and embedded taxes. When all taxes are factored in, the real total of taxes paid is more than 45 percent.
Many Press editorials and special investigative reports have highlighted government waste. Now, we are being taken to task for calling on the government to fix the very things the Press exposed.
The Press implies that the Tea Party shows too much “courage.” Did the Founding Fathers show too much courage by refusing to prostrate themselves to King George?
Courage is precisely what is needed today. The courage to speak out and tell self-serving politicians that they work for the people and not the other way around.
As for raising taxes on the “wealthiest Americans,” how about defining “wealthiest Americans?” The federal government could tax every person who earns $250,000 or more per year the entire amount and it wouldn’t raise nearly the amount needed to cover the increase in spending. The “wealthy” would simply park their money in the tax shelters their friends in Washington have created.
The editorial called the raising of the debt ceiling by $2.1 trillion “routine,” leading one to conclude the Press has lost touch with reality. What is “prudent” about borrowing $2.1 trillion that you have no way to pay back, a fact that was evident to Standard & Poor’s and our nation’s creditors? Prudence is only borrowing what you can afford to pay back. Stupidity and greed is borrowing more than that amount.
In the week since Congress and the president raised the debt ceiling, the “prudent” course according to the Press, the Dow Jones Industrials have dropped more than 1,000 points. Do you still believe it was prudent to increase our debt?
In short, the markets do not believe the United States will be able to pay back the debt without government gimmicks such as inflating the money supply. In the minds of investors and foreign nations, we have defaulted, whether the government admits it or not.
Finally, the Press seems to be lacking the virtue of truth. The truth is the president and Congress keep increasing our debt to the point that future Americans will be living in financial servitude if something is not done to break this cycle. This is being borne out by China’s comments over the weekend that the United States has to get its financial house in order.
China became our biggest creditor thanks to the economic illiteracy that emanates in the White House and the halls of Congress, regardless of whether it is the Republicans or Democrats in charge.
Posted: August 13th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Bayshore Tea Party Group, NJ Media | Tags: Asbury Park Press, Barabara Gonzalez, Bayshore Tea Party, Neptune Nudniks | 4 Comments »
