Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Open Letter to Vice President Biden from a Delaware TEA Party leader

Dear Vice President Biden:

I wanted to introduce myself to you. My name is Evan Queitsch and I am a member of the TEA Party in Delaware. I know that you served as one of Delaware’s two U.S. Senators for 36 years. You have become a figure head for the State and our state is often looked at with you as its poster child. I know that you have raised your family here, including a son who has become Delaware’s Attorney General. I have not agreed with your positions very often and some of your comments have been embarrassing (“Stand up Chuck” comes to mind) but I have never referred to you as “a terrorist”. I do however; understand that you have referred to me and the thousands of Delawareans who consider themselves part of the TEA Party as terrorists. It sounds to me like we have a misunderstanding about what we stand for and so I wanted to clear that up for you.

We the TEA Party stand for the following ideals; Limited Government, Fiscal Responsibility, Free Markets and Government Accountability. I know that these are fairly broad topics, so let me quickly explain each one for you.

Limited Government – Despite the talking points, limited government means a government restrained by our Constitution and in the spirit of our Founding Fathers. And just so we’re clear, I have yet to meet a TEA Partier who believes in slavery. What we mean is that our Founders designed a government that WE THE PEOPLE could serve in and could control through our votes. It means a government that involves itself in the fewest parts of our lives and that protects our individual rights without trampling them.

Fiscal Responsibility – This means ensuring that Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid are solvent and can continue to function for those in society who truly need these safety nets. It means paying down our debts before charging up new ones. It means understanding that raising taxes on anyone during a recession is a bad idea. It means understanding that job creation fixes the economy and that job creation happens in the private sector. It means understanding that we must balance our budget.

Free Markets – The TEA Party understands that it is the private sector that creates jobs and drives the American economy. We understand that the freedom to try, the freedom to buy and the freedom to sell are as important as the freedom to fail. We know that sometimes our ideas are flawed and that the people are capable of determining what goods and services work best for them without the government telling them what to do. We also understand the need for simple regulations to ensure that businesses do not violate the law but we want to free the markets from burdensome regulations that drive up prices and nudge people away from things that the government has determined are bad for us. We believe in the entrepreneurial spirit and we believe that the government should allow that spirit to prosper by allowing individuals to prosper.

Government Accountability – We in the TEA Party believe that government should be open and transparent. We believe that every agent of the government answers to the populace of the country. We believe that those who write our regulations, enforce our tax code and otherwise create the laws and ordinances we live by ought to be confirmed in an open and transparent process and that they ought to believe in American values and free market ideals. We are against the idea of appointed “Czars” who write executive actions behind the scenes and do so without congressional approval.

In short Mr. Biden, I must ask you, do we sound like terrorists? We call, we write, and yes, we exercise our Constitutional right to assemble peaceably to demand a redress of grievances when government refuses to listen to our pleas. We are grandparents, great grandparents, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and children. We are African-American, Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian and many other races. We believe in being good stewards of the planet, taking care of one another and being tolerant. We are Republicans, Democrats and Independents. We are men and women. We are Christians, Muslims, Catholics and even Atheist. Mr. Vice President, we are voters from all walks of life, rich and poor, sick and healthy but most importantly sir, we are Americans.  

We can (and will) disagree on policy but as fellow Americans, I find it distasteful that you refer to me and my fellow TEA Party Americans as “terrorists”. There has not been a single episode of violence by a TEA Party member at any rally that I have ever been to and our weapons are words and ideas, not roadside bombs and guns. Please Mr. Vice President, don’t disrespect our founders, the Constitution and the American people by calling those who support public involvement in government “terrorists”.

Sincerely,





Evan Queitsch

24 comments:

  1. Great letter Evan. I am just not sure if he can comprehend this. It is too intelligently written for him. He must be at a fourth grade reading level....

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  2. Well said, Evan. I am going to share this.

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  3. Thanks for sharing and for the kind words. I felt like this should come from someone in Delaware and I figured I was as good as anyone else.

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  4. Well - just to be clear, I have numerous times heard conservatives call liberals lots of awful things, and even say many times that liberals are fascists, are sympathetic to terrorists, and all kinds of ridiculousness. I'm not saying it is okay, but let's just put this into some perspective. Not to mention it was a private meeting.

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  5. Dear Even,
    Thank you for your letter. It's always a hoot to hear from one of the little people. But, man, that's a lot of words! Some of them with multiple syllables! I guess that's why I had to let my aides read it and give me a report that I could understand. (Did that come out right?)
    Anyway, it is with regret that I must advise that we have put you on a watch list, and one of those big guys living in my guest house will be by to visit with you shortly. It is simply not civil to use the term "weapons" willy nilly as you so irresponsibly (4 syllables, how ya like that?) did. Son, it makes you sound like a terrorist, not to me, but those big guys out by the pool, huh, not smiling, not smiling. Jill! Who ARE those guys out by the pool? And by golly, "civil" must be the watchword, Evin! Gabby, you cracked-head you, you go girl!
    Thanks again for the note, it is important that the unimportant keep in touch with their dear leaders. Just watch that tongue.
    Yours truly,
    Hon. Joseph Biden
    Jill! WTF does Hon. stand for?

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  6. Anonymous,
    It is not surprising that you would not understand the first point here,
    1.) Say what you mean, mean what you say and own your comments. Whether you say it in private or in public, YOU are the one who said it. In addition, the meeting is not private if the media is able to get the information.

    2.) The idea that people call Liberals Fascist is silly, Republicans are called Fascists while Democrats are more often referred to as Socialists but let's explore the Fascism idea for a moment. Fascism is often referred to as a collusion between government and big business to take control of the nation. The real definition is a bit different but let's operate under the popular notion of government/business colluding. Today's Democrat Party is beholden to big banking, big tech and big media. Tim Geithner, Apple, Microsoft, Hollywood, Bear Stearns, AIG, and Goldman Sachs come to mind. The biggest proof of collusion is GE and the Obama Administration/Democrats who passed a lightbulb ban that helps GE, and looks the other way while GE moves its plants to China. I don't find it a stretch to refer to this kind of collusion as "Fascist" when you look at how the Healthcare Bill, proposed Cap and Trade and the Lightbulb ban help the big business that the Dems are beholden to while simultaneously removing choice from consumers and increasing government control.

    3.) As for saying that the Dems are sympathetic to terrorists, well, the support for the Democrat Revolutions in Libya and Egypt went directly to the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Qaeda who were operating on the ground. Both groups are terror organizations, in fact, the Muslim Brotherhood SPAWNED Al Qaeda. In addition, the Obama Administration has staked out ground that places it on the side of the Palestinian leadership and Hamas. Finally, Democrat Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney was recently in Iran calling the US a terrorist state and siding with Muslim leaders with ties to world wide terrorist organizations (like Ahmadinejad): http://youtu.be/uPIuDPdLzDQ

    I don't find it a stretch to point out the recent Democrat support for terrorists.

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  7. Terrorist was an overstatement. Extortionist would have been a better word.

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  8. Jim,
    Care to clarify your remark? Is there a reason why the TEA Party members are extortionists? Because we called, wrote and contacted our members of congress to express our sentiments? Because we demand fiscal responsibility? Because we want our representatives in Congress to make sure that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are around for those who truly need it in 20 years? Because we want our government to be limited by the Constitution and we demand that Congress work within those boundaries? (Want universal healthcare? Fine, pass an Amendment to the Constitution that allows government to act in that arena.) Because we want out government to stop borrowing $120 Billion a month from China and other foreign nations? Because we expect our politicians to actually have our best interests in mind? Please, do tell.

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  9. Wonderful letter! Sums the key points up, its a shame that people criticize this...its commonsense. It's what made America, america. Without limited government, fiscal responsibility and free markets, where the hell would America be today? The damn red coats would of got us! LOL. Anyway, I digress. I mad as hell that "we the people", tea party members (because god knows the democrats and republicans are not a viable choice anymore) are being labeled as terrorists, as our president is the biggest terrorist in the country (/world? Libya anyone? Iraq? Afghanistan?) Impeach this *ss and the rest will dissolve.

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  10. DEConservative, would you prefer I say that "you held the debt ceiling hostage" instead of "extortionist"? The fact is that the House GOP elected by Tea Party members held up the debt ceiling deal until they got what they wanted. I view that as "hostage taking" or "extortionist".

    My guess is that you view what the Dems are doing by raising taxes or Obamacare as "extortion" from people because you're forcing them to make payments, as well.

    It's different sides of the same coin.

    Social Security will be around for the next twenty+ years. It already has an automatic mechanism that reduces payouts if funds are not sufficient. And I believe that Obamacare (and the individual mandate) does comply with the US Constitution.

    You and I disagree and will continue to do so. I don't begrudge your partipation in politics but expect to be able to call you out when I disagree with you, and would expect the same in return

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  11. Actually Jim, I'd prefer you be HONEST instead of using rhetoric. What happened was that the TEA Party elected representatives in both the House and Senate demanded that Congress get SERIOUS about addressing our wildly out of control spending and that America get SERIOUS about addressing our debt problems. It's not extortion or hostage taking, it's expecting their fellow representatives to do the job they were sent to do.

    Your guess is wrong, I don't see Obamacare as "extortion", I see it as socializing medicine and it's CLEARLY a violation of the Constitution because it demands that people buy a product or service in order to remain a U.S. Citizen in good standing. What you "believe" and what the FACTS SAY are totally different things.

    As for Social Security, the trust fund has been raided by politicians from all sides of the aisle to pay for social programs, wars and generally poor spending plans (like the Trillion Obama Stimulus)and is in severe danger. Now you can play games with it by letting it fall further into the red (we already have more than $15 TRILLION in unfunded liabilities)or by reducing the payouts (let's see how that goes over with those who rely on SS benefits) or you can man up and get serious about fixing it. I say it's time to man up and fix it.

    Now, with all of that said, I don't have a problem disagreeing with anyone but I don't think we need to be calling people "extortionists" or "hostage takers". That's rhetoric and it's the last bastion of someone who can't properly articulate their positions. Demonize the other side of the argument to scare people into siding with you. It's a shame.

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  12. DEConservative, if you're representatives are holding up a deal until the very end to get their way, I do consider it extortion/hostage taking. We'll continue to disagree on that.

    On Obamacare, you're wrong. There's nothing in Obamacare that requires you to buy a product "to remain a US citizen in good standing". If you don't have healthcare, you pay a fine/tax. That doesn't mean you're not a US citizen or that, for instance, you can't vote if you don't have health care.

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  13. Oops, that should have been "your" representatives. My bad.

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  14. So, they should just vote for compromise for the sake of compromise regardless of whether it addresses the problem or not...OR they are considered hostage takers (terrorists)? Shocking closed minded for a liberal.

    You've illustrated my point exactly, "buy healthcare or you pay a special fine"...meaning that YOU are a violator of the law because you didn't buy something. On top of that, it's not just SOMETHING...it's a SPECIFIC thing...a healthcare plan that the Obama Administration likes.

    Well what part of the Constitution gives the Federal government the right to tell me what medical insurance is ok for me to use?

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  15. Commerce clause and the tax and spend clause, DEConservative. But it doesn't require you to buy a specific policy from a specific company.

    So, let me ask you a question: How do you characterize what the Dems do to pass Obamacare?

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  16. Evan,

    I saw your comment at Patterico's site, and followed the link here. This is one of the most eloquent things I've read about the Tea Party in recent months.

    May I publish your entire letter on my blog, Grand Rants? I'll give credit and a direct link to your post, of course. I know I could excerpt a paragraph or two, but your post should be read whole, not piecemeal.

    If you prefer I don't post it, of course I won't, but I'd appreciate it if you'd give permission.

    Many thanks for considering this, and I will wait to hear from you.

    Stoutcat
    Grand Rants

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  17. Please do Stoutcat. I would be honored.

    To Jim...Judge Andrew Napolitano explains the inconsistency with your argument far better than I can. Please read up on it here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203917304574412793406386548.html

    The way I characterize what the Dems did to pass Obamacare is using an extreme majority in government to push through their agenda with or without the approval of the majority of Americans. Rule by decree really.

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  18. Although I strongly disagreed with the letter I thought it was very well written. But after reading the comments below I began to give less credit as I scrolled down. To even suggest that the democratic party is more with big business is utterly absurd. I don't even understand how someone could even make these crazed thoughts. I would think that the party that wants to raise taxes on corporations and to stop loop holes would pretty much be clear of any accusations of being tied with such groups. I really dont get it, If you are trying to save the environment and energy for our country, someone was going to win on the lightbulb deal! Do you really think that someone from GE just came to Obama and said "Hey buddy, I need more money lets get rid of the light bulbs I already make and only make these other ones so I will make more money than before? That thought bewilders me. Second off, you comment about the tea party officials getting SERIOUS about the debt ceiling is a joke ! They put offers on the table that were ridiculous, its like haggling with a street vendor, you (tea party) offer the street vendor (democrats) one dollar for an item that they are selling at twenty. The street vendor then comes back with an offer of 10, yet you still say one. I understand what you sent your official's to do for our nation, yet you shouldn't expect it to be an overnight process. By holding up the debt ceiling talks you have made your representatives look unqualified and silly. Hopefully silly enough to take the house and the senate in the next election and to raise corporate/high income taxes and rise as greatest country in the world once again!

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  19. Mike:
    First, I find it incredible that you can ignore the fact that S&P is the third credit agency (and the most high profile) to downgrade the American economy. That means we have lost out AAA bond rating for the FIRST TIME IN HISTORY. Why did we lose it? According to S&P it's because the "debt deal" didn't go far enough. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/standard-poors-downgrades-u-s-credit-rating-for-first-time-in-history/

    Now, you can argue that we should have gouged the rich, I've heard that a million times, and if we taxed all of the rich, 100% for the entire year, we're looking at $80 Billion...meanwhile we borrow $120 Billion every MONTH...Check out the following video that will show you the incredible hole we are in and explain to me what we do next? http://youtu.be/661pi6K-8WQ

    As for the Democrats ties to business, it's absolutely undeniable that the Obama Administration and the current Congress is beholden to Big Finance, Big Media and Big Tech. GE agrees to support the Obama agenda and in exchange gets handed contracts for medical equipment, light bulbs and you name it. Meanwhile, they pay $0 in corporate taxes and ship entire factories over to China. Hell, the head of GE is one of Obama's gurus. To deny these connections is rather silly

    Further, all I hear from Democrats and lefties is that we have to close tax loopholes. You all preach about closing loopholes but I have YET to hear ONE of you mention a specific tax loophole that is so egregious that it is costing us our opportunity at success. Could you name one? Also, please name the Big Oil tax breaks that are not the same for any other company out there. The answer is there are none. Energy companies get the same tax breaks for their investments as any other company and they keep our economy fueled. Green energy you say? Renewable energy gets hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies to provide less than 10% of our nation's power needs at 3-4 times the cost of fossil fuels. As for GE or the Dems saving the enviornment with their CFL bulbs...news flash Mike, they contain Mercury which is extremely toxic (can't be great for the planet) and their manufactured in China where they could care less about their carbon footprint.

    In the end Mike, you've got to do more digging into the talking points you spew. Know a little about what you're talking about and hey, do your own research. Check out multiple sources and formulate your own opinions. Most of all, don't get sidetracked by politicians, no matter what party they are in. Both Republicans AND Democrats have gotten us into this mess by failing to be responsible stewards of our tax dollars. Millions of Americans rose up over the last 5 years to sent representatives to Washington (the TEA Party reps) who had the audacity to challenge the political class and to take serious their role. It may not happen overnight but our credit was downgraded overnight and tomorrow our markets will decline(DEEPLY). Had we passed $4 Trillion in cuts like the ratings agencies had asked, this depression could have been avoided but unfortunately, the Democrats and the Republican establishment politicians simply didn't have the stones to make the tough choices. Now America is in danger of having the dollar knocked out as a reserve currency and we're facing another Great Depression. Bang up job by "your guys" Mike.

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  20. Well, I can continue to see your narrow mindedness, ill say one thing more, and its the only thing that needs to be said. But before ill preface it with a statement...I do not stand for the democratic party, my wish is that we have a very much forward thinking group of people that will use our resources to improve life instead of looking for a profit off the next fad. Instead of making billion dollars profit we should be collectively thinking about how great we should make our future, that's what im about. I have no admiration to even try to answer some of your points as I see them moot. Ten of the fourteen trillion dollars we are in the hole are from Bush tax cuts under George Bush, two of the Bush tax cuts under Obama. Thats twelve of the fourteen trillion dollars we owe. Please explain this to me, also explain how you ignore history. It is easily seen how higher taxes for the rich has helped this country throughout its history. It is fact, look it up, thanks

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  21. Mike, you're outright lying. Tax cuts don't "add to the deficit". As Brian Riedl explains(http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704738404575347302831199046.html), the "Bush tax cuts" were implemented in the early 200's along with the two wars we are in and yet by 2007 the deficit was just $161 BILLION. Also, "the 10-year cost of extending the Bush tax cuts ($3.2 trillion), the Medicare drug entitlement ($1 trillion), and Iraq and Afghanistan spending ($515 billion) add up to $4.7 trillion." So I reject your "facts" (backed up with absolutely ZERO data, just your completely unqualified assertions) in favor of hard numbers that prove you completely wrong.

    AS for higher taxes helping the country, I'd love you to point me in the right direction for that because looking back in history, economic boons occurred in the 80's under Reagan when taxes were cut, in the early 60's following the Kennedy tax cuts and in the 1920's following the Harding/Coolidge tax cuts (also known as the roaring 20's). And that's just since your pal Woodrow Wilson instituted the Income Tax (which we survived over 100 years without.

    Please Mike, if you're going to make RIDICULOUS claims...at least show us some data, post a link or otherwise help us understand how you come to these radical conclusions.

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  22. Here's another great Open Letter to VP Biden that I found: http://www.smithheggumreport.com/?p=2345

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  23. Jim,
    CBO says SS in real trouble within the next 30 yrs...timely to see that now after your comments above. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/if-you-need-social-security-checks-three-decades-from-now-you-might-be-in-trouble/

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