It seems to me that the entire basis of Dan Zuckerman's Community Forum (March 9) was predicated on the phrase "Exterminate the Vermin" that some random lady had listed on a sign. I'm just guessing, but I think that this was simply a metaphor for "vote out the incumbents."
Dan, we've got a serious problem in this country right now. It's not about Democrats or Republicans, as they are clearly both to blame. This is about out-of-control government spending that has us on the brink of fiscal oblivion. This spending isn't relegated to the federal government, but is running rampant through the states, counties and municipalities as well. And it is simply unsustainable.
I understand there are people like support bigger government and taxpayer-funded social programs for all. That is their right, their viewpoint, and I respect that. But to air an opinion about the tea party based on one sign, and the fact that he couldn't forge an intelligent discussion with a political adversary during the length of a traffic light, is misguided. To smear these modern-day patriots as 1930s fascists is flat-out reckless.
Tea partiers are "throwbacks" to another era. But it's not the Nazi Germany he alludes too, but rather the brave men and women who paved the way for us back in the 1790s. We believe in Franklin, Washington, Madison and Jefferson. We believe in smaller government and limited taxes. We believe that jobs and economic growth are born from the private sector, and not "provided for" by government. Hard work and the entrepreneurial spirit have defined this nation for generations, and we need to get back to that frame of mind. The entitlement era is coming to an end.
As for the Constitution of the United States of America being "precious," he'd better believe it. It is still the document that we are governed by, even as progressives try to erode its very foundation at every opportunity.
The protection provided by the First Amendment is what allowed him to get his opinion piece published. In other countries, you might be jailed or simply "disappeared" for having disparaging or opposing political views
Tea partiers aren't racists. They're not fascists. They're not xenophobes.
They're not against government; they're just for small government and lower taxes.
Dan should quit painting this group with an evil brush, as they are simply patriots of yesteryear. Look at Greece, Spain, Portugal, Iceland, and the state of California to realize that big government, tax-and-spend politics doesn't work, it never has. We're running low on time, but it's not too late to get back to the basics of the Constitution.
There's still a chance.
JASON CURL lives in Temecula.
