The Tea Party mentality

Tea Parties are popping up across the country. People see the government getting bigger, deficits ballooning. They're worried. They're angry. They're frustrated. Perhaps you're among them. If you think the country is moving in the wrong direction and you want to effectively communicate that, you first have to understand why. You have to have a firm grasp of the fundamental principals your seeking to promote. So what are they?

This is not about Republican or Democrat. This is about capitalism, free markets and free people.

Leaders in both major political parties have advanced the notion that capitalism is a necessary evil, evil being the key word. We're taught that selfishness is bad; that one should always serve a cause "higher than yourself". All of this is dead wrong.

Capitalism is not primarily about money. It's about making your self your top priority. Advancing your agenda. Setting your own priorities. Big government proponents want you to serve a purpose "higher than yourself". They don't even really care what that purpose is. The key is to convince you that you should subjegate yourself to something else; society, country, others. Others, by definition, is everyone except you. Once I've convinced you that you are not worthy of your own efforts and attention, I can set myself up as a representative of the higher, more worthy cause. Now I can use your own guilt to take your time, your labor, your intelligence and direct them toward my agenda. After all, working for me makes you a better person.

The truth is that when you take care of yourself, I don't have to. Your neighbors don't have to, your family and friends don't have to. You become an asset rather than a burden. If you regard yourself as a good person, capable of determining right from wrong and pursuing right, why would you not trust in your own priorities? Three hundred million individuals all focused on being the best person, by their own yardstick, that they can be is what will uplift this nation. Three hundred million people looking for direction from self-annointed leaders will not.

Support whatever cause you please. Help anyone you want. But you determine the who, what, where, why, when and for how long. Be your own cause and keep in mind that there is no cause higher than your self. Your integrity is your greatest asset. Your agenda matters. You matter. Know who you are. Know what you believe. Believe what you know. Take care of yourself.

We all want a better country; a better world. The basic conflict is whether you get there by empowering your self or surrendering your self. I submit that surrender is not the answer.