Tea Parties, third parties, and small government.

I love the Tea Party movement. I spoke at the event on tax day 2009 before about 8,000 people and am scheduled to speak at the upcoming event on tax day 2010.

Claude Ford, of Arvada, asks a question about the movement in his letter to the editor published in today's Denver Post. (See "Faces of the Tea Party," second letter). It says:

The outrageous policies of the Bush administration have led directly to the financial and economic collapse we are experiencing now. Columnists Mike Littwin, Paul Krugman and other fine journalists sounded the alarm bell on the impending perils of these policies.

Were letter-writer Nanette McBride (April 3) and other Tea Party-goers asleep for eight years? Their failure to protest then makes their protests now seem far more political than patriotic.

Claude Ford, Arvada

Regardless of his approval of Paul Krugman, Mr. Ford's overall point is correct. There was no Tea Party movement while George W. Bush and the Republicans outrageously expanded government.

There is, however, a political group, formed right here in Colorado, that has been speaking out against both Big Government Republicans and Democrats since 1971. The Libertarian Party has been around for decades and will be around long after the last tea cup is put away.

Believers in small government have a home, and it is not the party of George W. Bush, John McCain, Jane Norton, Bill Owens or Scott McInnis. That a political party can espouse small government, yet consistently support Big Government candidates, is absurd. But the joke is on the rank-and-file Republicans who actually believe in small government. And I know there are lots of you out there.

After the GOP nominates Big Government candidates, the GOP politburo will look at you and say, "What? You have to vote for our Big Government candidates. What ya gonna do, vote for the Democrat? You have no choice. HA HA HA HA."

You do have a choice. The two party system is not in the Constitution. Neither is plurality voting, which keeps the two-party duopoly in power. I hear well-meaning people say, "well, we have a two-party system and we just have to live with that."

Hogwash.

Did Sam Adams say to his cousin John, "we live in a monarchy and we just have to live with it." Hell no, he did not. They fought. For years and years. And were eventually victorious.

Join the fight against all Big Government politicians, regardless of the letter after their name. Do not accept the false choice of the Big Government Democrat or the Big Government Republican. If you do, you perpetuate the problem. I know you want to solve the problem.

Let's have some tea.