Venango County Tea Party Patriots

A non-partisan, non-profit, non-member, association dedicated to educating the public and promoting the principles of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free market economics, and all other lawful activities.

From The VCTPP Blog

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Free Markets

     One of the cornerstones of the American system is a free market. The founding fathers were adamant that free men and women should be able to arrange their own affairs, to buy and sell and provide for themselves and their families, free from government interference. They recognized that allowing the citizens to profit from the work of their own hands encourages creativity and national prosperity.     Yet today we find that the government, through intrusive and unnecessary regulation of commerce, banking, and business, has all but removed the principles of free market economics from the financial life of the nation. The market place is not allowed to adjust itself naturally, resulting in artificially induced and unsustainable fluctuations in the availability and quality of goods and services. Many of the issues the government proposes to “fix” today – health care, the banking industry, and the manufacturing sector to name a few – have actually been caused by government interference. Many citizens are losing confidence in the government’s ability to right its own past wrongs. People are beginning to recognize that a free market is good for us as individuals, and it’s good for the nation.

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Fiscal Responsibility

One of the effects of unlimited government is fiscal irresponsibility. This is exhibited in a number of ways, including a constantly increasing tax burden; increasingly expensive government that is ineffective and wasteful; millions of dollars spent on “pet projects” and “perks” that benefit few but have exorbitant cost for the many; and negative effects on the monetary system including cyclical inflation and deflation, devalued currency, and increasing national debt which leads to decreased sovereignty. The government, it seems, no longer has any sense of fiscal restraint. The recent billion dollar bailouts paid to various private firms are proof enough that Washington no longer understands or cares about the most basic financial principles.    The result is that the United States has become a “debtor nation”. Foreign governments “own” over 25% of our debt; that gives them great leverage in their dealings with us.Another result of fiscal irresponsibility is a weak economy.  Every US man, woman, and child currently owes over $40,000.00 in national debt – because the citizens are ultimately responsible for this debt. It’s time to put the government on a financial diet!

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Constitutionally Limited Government

     Where does the power to govern come from? In the United States, the authority of the government comes from the people. This power is carefully and specifically limited by the Constitution of the United States.

Unfortunately the Constitutional limitation of governmental power has eroded over time. This erosion accelerates during times of national unease. The Civil War, the Great Depression, World Wars I and II, and the cold war all were “reasons” for the government to increase its hold on power, decrease the sovereignty of the states, and diminish the rights of individual free men and women.

Never before, however, have we seen such acceleration in this abuse of power as we have in the last decade. This abuse is not divided along party lines, but has become endemic in the political process itself. Most citizens have felt powerless to reign in the burgeoning bureaucracy.

Until now.

    Today, many citizens are educating themselves on the Constitution, the proper role of government and on ways they can help to bring about real change that will result in a return of the United States of America to a limited, Constitution based government as our founding fathers envisioned.