ALL TOGETHER NOW…

The tremendous response to the Tennessee Republican Party’s message, “Hey, Obama supporters, Honk if you’re paying my mortgage!”, has been approved by the citizens who have played by the rules, yet pay the penalty of those who don’t. Coverage in the Wall Street Journal, U.S. News, ABC News, Michelle Malkin, Dave Ramsey, Neal Boortz, and Instapundit has gotten a lot of folks speaking from their bumpers… Join us!

TENNESSEE TRAVELS
Greene County Packed House!
I had the privilege of addressing an overflow crowd at the Greene County Lincoln Day Dinner, hosted by the Greene County Republican Women, led by Nancy Wilson. Bill Gibbons, Bill Haslam, and Zach Wamp all made remarks about their campaign to be Tennessee’s next Governor and Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey announced his desire to join them in the race. Congressman Phil Roe was a treat in having 2 stacks of paper: The “Stimulus” (spending) package that was never produced in time for the legislators to read before the vote and the upcoming budget. Both intimidating piles of paper represented an incredible expansion of government rather than solving our economic problems.

Congratulations to Chairman Louis Ricker for a Party on the move!

National Association of Asian American Professionals

My thanks to the leadership of the NAAAP for allowing me to join them for their national retreat in Nashville on Saturday. Over 100 professionals assembled to strategize their organization’s agenda and growth. I was delighted to see the energy and enthusiasm present and know that Tennessee benefits from their presence.

Polk County is GROWING!
Master of Ceremonies Rep. Eric Watson did a great job in keeping a lively program (and crowd) in line at Polk County’s Lincoln Day Dinner. Senator Dewayne Bunch was the key note speaker with Rep. Mike Bell serving as a good sport in the audience. The Polk County party is growing and standing firm on the principles of our party.

PARTY LIKE IT’S 1773
On Friday, February 27, Nashville joined 49 other sites across the United States to host a “Tea Party” to allow citizens to demonstrate their opposition to the extraordinary “stimulus” (stimulates on the expansion of government, not the economy) package. More than 300 citizens rallied at the Legislative Plaza in Nashville, part of nationwide outpouring of opposition to the out-of-control spending by Obama and the Democrats and reflective of the original Tea Party in Boston Harbor in protest of “taxation without representation.”

Funny, now, Tennessee Democrats are squawking about the fact that citizens had the audacity to speak against the return to a welfare state cultivated by an overreaching federal government spending tax dollars from hard-working citizens.

As stated on countless occasions, Republicans are supportive of a genuine stimulus package with targeted spending to generate jobs, but at about half the cost of the Democrats “payback-as-you-go” plan to “redistribute the wealth.”

TENNESSEE INCOME TAX

After a tremendous swell of grassroots opposition in 2000 stopped a state income tax, Tennessee Democrats have filed a bill in the state legislature (in both chambers), to implement the state Income Tax, another vehicle for government to take your money. The Income Tax has been ruled unconstitutional in our state, yet, tax-and-spend-Democrats are proving what we already know: Democrats don’t trust you to spend your own money. They believe the government knows better. No wonder the Tennessee Democrats are mocking the right of citizens to publicly protest and even criticize Tennessee’s Democrat Governor for doing the right thing – reviewing the strings attached to non-recurring money coming to our state. Hold onto your wallet!

“GREEDY” WALL STREET
Democrats’ talking points about the freefall of the stock market in response to their fiscal irresponsibility include the term “greedy” that precedes any reference to Wall Street or the investment centers of our economy. President Obama has now declared that he and the Democrats will not view the stock market numbers as they do polls in addressing policy.

There is no argument there were some investment “tools” that were less than sound that were utilized in the investment community. That, however, does not remove the direct connection that the average man and woman has to the declining stock market.

Up to two-thirds of Americans are invested in the stock market through 401Ks and other tools. The stock market drop has resulted in the loss of up to 50% of the value of individual investments since the November 2008 elections. “Main Street” is directly impacted by “Wall Street” losses because the average worker and retiree have been careful to invest rather than depend entirely upon Social Security and government programs for their retirement.

The philosophy of socialism and class warfare that serves as the foundation for Democrats’ economic policy is killing the very existence of America’s free market.

Stand strong. Good principles yield good policy. We’ve got to elect those who stand for good principles.