<html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="country-region"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="place"/>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Verdana;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Trebuchet MS";
panose-1:2 11 6 3 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Century Gothic";
panose-1:2 11 5 2 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
h1
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:15.0pt;
font-family:"Century Gothic";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><font size=2 color=blue face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:blue;font-weight:bold;
font-style:italic'>… So-called "free trade" has failed the
American public while enriching the corporatists … Unfair tax cuts are
the real villains along with corporatist "free trade" policies …
So-called "free trade" is undermining our national security by
crushing our industrial manufacturing base and crippling our national finances …
Free trade has not been free for American citizens …<br>
<br>
</span></font></i></b><b><i><font size=2 color=blue face=Arial><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue;font-weight:bold;
font-style:italic'><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></b></p>
<h1 style='background:white'><b><font size=4 face="Century Gothic"><span
style='font-size:15.0pt'>Toward A Progressive Tea Party Movement<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><i><font size=1 face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Verdana;font-style:italic'>Stephen Crockett<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><i><font size=1 face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Verdana;font-style:italic'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><font size=1 color="#333333"
face=Verdana><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#333333'>Most
progressives have little respect for the Fox News generated "Tea
Party" movement. However, it has tapped into a very real populist anger
with the direction the country is headed in at this point in our history.<br>
<br>
Progressives should see a real opportunity in the emergence of the "Tea
Party" movement to educate the public and re-direct the anger to the real
villains whose actions and policies created the many problems faced by the
citizens of the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United
States of America</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Our government has failed
the American public by serving corporate interests and private profit instead
of the public good.<br>
<br>
The Republican Right has been somewhat successful in twisting this legitimate
anger and aiming it against those who have been fighting this corporate
takeover and corruption instead of themselves. They do this by lying to the
public and twisting reality. <br>
<br>
Of course, Fox News has been the leading force in this evil propaganda
campaign. However, a few corporatist Democrats like Senator Ben Nelson,
independents like Joe Lieberman and almost every elected Republican in the
nation have helped advance the corporatist agenda by deceiving the reformist
elements in the Tea Party movement.<br>
<br>
Tea Party activists should realize that Fox News was formed by corporatists to
advance the corporatist agenda. The corporatists have captured the
"conservative" movement. They are playing their followers for
suckers. A few Tea Party leaders know they are being used as a tool of the
Republican Right and corporatists but most do not.<br>
<br>
The American government is not the enemy if it is actually controlled by the
American public instead of by the rich and powerful elite who make up the
corporatists power structure. The American government needs to provide a check
and balance against corporate power. We must recapture our government from
corporate interests. This will never be done by Republicans. It will never be
done by the small corporatist faction of the Democratic Party. It can be done
with an alliance of progressives, real Tea Party reformers, economic populists
and grassroots Democrats.<br>
<br>
The Scott Browns and Sarah Palins of the nation only play at being populists.
They act in support of the corporatist agenda while talking like reformers.
Scott Brown was financed by corporatist forces. He was heavily financed by the
debt collection industry, banking interests, health insurance companies and the
like just like Sarah Palin. Brown opposes Wall Street reforms and regulation.
He wants corporate power to go unchecked. These ideas are clearly enemies of
the American public and real functional democracy. Folksy talk is just more hot
air. It is actions that count.<br>
<br>
Fox News seems designed to act as a financial and political backer of
Republican Right corporatist politicians. They spin everything to defeat real
reforms and undermine real reformers.<br>
<br>
Labor unions act as a check and balance on corporate power. Fox News and the
Republican Right corporatists demonize them at every opportunity. Union leaders
are always elected by the membership. They are the only truly
democratically-elected populist element in our economic system. The Fox News
crowd calls these elected leaders "union bosses." You do not get to
elect your "boss." Try suggesting free elections for all the
management positions at your place of employment and you will probably be
joining the ranks of the unemployed. Corporations are basically organized in a
top down dictatorial manner. It is their nature and mindset to be dictatorial
with very, very few exceptions.<br>
<br>
Suing corporations act as a check and balance to corporate power. Fox News and
the Republican Right corporatists are trying to eliminate the effectiveness of
this check and balance under the disguise of "tort reform."<br>
<br>
Campaign finance laws slightly reduced the ability of corporations to buy
elections, smear reformers and defeat reforms. While in power, the Republican
Right corporatists packed all our federal courts with corporatists. This is why
the Republican Right corporatists on the Supreme Court have recently overturned
over 60 years of established law to give corporations unlimited power to spend
shareholders´ money to advance their corporatist political goals. <br>
<br>
Most corporations are not loyal American citizens like the recent Supreme Court
ruling implies. Almost all the large corporations operating in <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region> are
international in nature. International corporations should not be controlling
the American economy, the American political system or the American government.
American citizens should be. No matter what the Supreme Court says,
international corporations are neither people nor American citizens. <br>
<br>
The percentage of the American economy going toward debt is growing rapidly.
Why? The answer is corporate power and corporatist government policy. So-called
"free trade" has failed the American public while enriching the
corporatists. Tax revenue has gone in the toilet because we do not tax imports
and tens of millions of former taxpayers have lost their jobs. Without
good-paying jobs, these workers/taxpayers are not paying nearly as much in
taxes.<br>
<br>
Tax cuts for over 30 years have been focused on enriching the corporatists and
screwing the middle classes. The Fox News and the Republican Right corporatists
want you to place the blame on the poor for government debt. This is pure
nonsense. Unfair tax cuts are the real villains along with corporatist
"free trade" policies. Additionally, the corporatists start
unnecessary wars financed by public debt that enrich the international
corporations while killing and maiming American soldiers. <br>
<br>
So-called "free trade" is undermining our national security by
crushing our industrial manufacturing base and crippling our national finances.
<br>
<br>
Government spending as a percentage of our economy is excessively large mostly
because our economy has not really grown the way it should because of so-called
"free trade." Free trade has not been free for American citizens. Our
public and personal debts have exploded. Our wages have not grown as quickly as
our cost of living. Our jobs are disappearing or have already disappeared.<br>
<br>
Government debt to enrich international corporations instead of improving the
lives of American citizens is nearly criminal. Why does Medicare money get paid
to drug companies without bargaining down the price of drugs? Corporate power
is the only answer.<br>
<br>
Why do Americans pay twice as much for medical care than any industrialized
nation but have worse results? Why are medical costs exploding here at the same
time as millions of citizens are being kicked out of their health insurance
plans? Why are our companies paying the cost of health insurance while all our
foreign competitors get subsidized by government payment of healthcare costs?
The answers are corporate power.<br>
<br>
The real reformers of the Tea Party movement need to look at corporate power
instead of government as the villains threatening the future of <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The
Republican Right, corporatists and Fox News are threatening your civil
liberties and Constitutional Right not the ACLU, Obama or the Democratic Party.
Republican Right, corporatists and Fox News are those who support the
"national security state", torture, jailing citizens without trial,
wiretapping without court orders, etc.<br>
<br>
International corporate interests have much more control over the lives of the
average American citizen than our government does. When the government gets
captured by these corporations, like it did under George W. Bush and his allies
who are still in office, the American public gets hammered!<br>
<br>
You are not ignorant or out of touch with reality just because you watch Fox
News or listen to right wing talk radio but prolonged exposure will eventually
get you there. Watching only Fox News will likely stop reform supporters of the
Tea Party movement from realizing that they have much more in common with
progressives than they ever realized.<br>
<br>
The real reformers in the Tea Party movement and progressives should unite in a
Progressive Tea Party movement. Fox News and the Republican Right corporatists
should not control or define the Tea Party. Both progressives and the real
reform elements in Tea Party movement should reach out to each other and make
common cause on many issues.<br>
<br>
It is time for a Progressive Tea Party movement.<br>
<br>
Written by Stephen Crockett (Host of Democratic Talk Radio
http://www.DemocraticTalkRadio.com and Editor of Mid-Atlantic Labor.com
http://www.midatlanticlabor.com). <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>Michael F. Dolan, J.D.</span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>Legislative Representative</span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>Department of Federal
Legislation and Regulation</span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>International Brotherhood
of Teamsters</span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>desk: 202-624-6891</span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>fax:
202-624-8973</span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>cell: 202-486-6083</span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>