Letter to the Editor

Plan to cut federal budget needs to be heard

Friday, November 25, 2011

Dear Editor:

As you know, the Senate has failed to pass a budget resolution for three years running. Now they won't even let the American people do the job for them.

On Nov. 17, 200 Freedom Works PAC members and representatives from tea party groups across the country, including Indiana, met in the Russell Senate Office building to formally present our plan to balance the federal budget and cut $9.7 trillion in spending over the last 10 years. Unfortunately, it seems like the only thing Washington wants to hear is excuses.

The Democrats who run the Senate Rules Committee were so afraid of the tea party plan to balance the federal budget that they were ordered committee staff to remove the microphones we had set up for the event while Capitol Police blocked the doors of our hearing room, which had been reserved by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) specifically for this event more than two weeks ago. At the same time, a "suspicious package" was reported in the room next door and all visitors and staff were barred from the area.

Although Senator Lee courageously stood up for us, he ultimately determined that the hearing should proceed without further interruption or harassment. For that reason we moved to another location off the Capitol grounds where our commissioners of 12 volunteer tea party activists presented their recommendations to a fired-up crowd.

Senator Lee also joined there by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Reps. Joe Walsh (R-IL), Steve King (R-IA), Mike Pence (R-IN), Mike Mulvaney (R-SC) and Paul Broun (R-GA). Rep. Broun received a standing ovation when he offered to help draft and sponsor legislation that could eventually allow our recommended cuts to become law.

Unfortunately, the unexpected location change disrupted live coverage of our hearing on C-SPAN, but the events continued.

It is this kind of bullying by the Democrat party that overshadows and makes pale anything conservatives or Republicans have been accused of in trying to subvert or corrupt American freedoms and individual rights. How can people like Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi pretend to be sincere when blatant tactics like this are used?

It is time for individual citizens to band together, organize and strengthen the values the constitution originally prescribed.

Ray A. Harney