Florida Today Letter to the Editor
April 25th, 2009

As the organizer of the April 19th Tea Party, I have been fascinated by media commentary andthe way those that attended the rally have been portrayed.

The motives ascribed to me and other attendees by those like cartoonist Jeff Parker are completely inaccurate and reflect a genuine failure to appreciate the magnitude of what is happening and why.

Born of anger and frustration with our corrupt political system, the Tea Parties are the concrete, physical manifestation of working Americans’ realization that something is horribly wrong in America – that the intellectual and philosophical roots of this country are being destroyed, along with our freedom and prosperity.

They are recognition of the fact that one man’s need does not constitute a claim on the life of another man – that no man is entitled to the fruits of another man’s labor.

They are recognition of the fact you cannot tax and spend your way to prosperity; that printing trillions of dollars does nothing to create wealth or economic prosperity, and in fact destroys both.

Make no mistake, the Tea Parties are not about race or party – they are about restoring government to its proper role of protecting the rights of individuals.

- Matt Nye