When someone makes this kind of ridiculous claim I usually just laugh it off. As a Tea Partier I know that I’m nothing like that and I know what I stand for. Every once in a while, though, it does really get to me. Not because my feelings are hurt, but because it is absolutely mind blowing to me how people can be so naive and ignorant. For one thing there seems to be a lot of confusion as to what the Tea Party stands for. We want less government and less spending. That’s the most basic, bottom line description I can give of what the Tea Party wants, yet it still gets lost on some people. You don’t need a fancy degree to understand what the Tea Party stands for. The most common criticism of the Tea Party is criticism of things that the Tea Party never said and never claimed to stand for. Liberals don’t understand the Tea Party at all. They just know they don’t like it, so they make up things about the Tea Party and then go on and on about how enraged they are over the things they just made up. The most common accusation is that the Tea Party is a bunch of racists who just hate people. This level of ignorance will never completely disappear. I’ve reached the point where I’ve realized that having to deal with the ignorance and intolerance of others is just a part of life. Even so, I’m getting really fed up with all the talk about how hateful the Tea Party is, so I’m going to explain a few things in a way that is so simple even a liberal could understand.

Let’s begin by addressing the most outrageous accusations against the Tea Party.

-They’re just a bunch of racists.

Yes, the President is black. Yes, the polls have shown that the majority of the Tea Party is white. If you have picked up on this, congratulations. Maybe you can find a successful career in color coding, but I still have a little news flash that you might find interesting. Pointing out the differences in skin color does not make your absurd claim of racism any more valid.

-But, I saw signs. Racist signs…that were mean!

Yes, I’ve seen racist signs too, but not at Tea Parties. The leadership of the Tea Party movement has repeatedly denounced racist signs and racist actions among the Tea Party. Every once in a while a nut shows up who is not welcomed among the group, but those nuts tend to show up more at liberal events than Tea Parties.

-The Tea Partiers are violent and dangerous.

Look up some videos of the May Day protests. There’s your violence. And if you think the Tea Party is violent or dangerous that is most likely due to inaccurate libelous reporting. After the health care vote when Congressmen who voted yes began receiving threats, the media immediately began pointing their fingers at the Tea Party and the Republican Party, when at the time they had no evidence to back up their claims.

-But…they’re dangerous. They want to overthrow the government!

You probably only believe that because some liberal talking head who is not intelligent enough to recognize the difference between anti-government and anti-big government incorrectly told you that the Tea Party is made up of a bunch of anarchists. There is a huge difference between being against big government and being against big government. Again, you don’t exactly need a college degree to pick up on this MAJOR difference. The liberals continue spreading this lie that the Tea Party is out to get rid of government completely, and I am left wondering how anyone could be so stupid as to be unable to recognize the difference between supporting small government and supporting anarchy.

-The Tea Party hates poor people!

Yes, I’m sure Washington told you that all of their newest entitlement programs will help people and that anyone who doesn’t support them is just a really cold and hateful person. The democrats charitable programs are not charity no matter what they say. Sure, there are the welfare programs and the homeless shelters and the unemployment benefits, but the democrats are creating so many new entitlement programs that a)make people more dependent on the government and b)we can’t afford. Take for instance the government’s new program to provide everyone with free internet. People who don’t have internet access are going to get free internet paid for by other taxpayers. That is not charity. That is the government taking advantage of someone’s hard work by giving someone else the opportunity to benefit from that hard work by doing nothing. When the money runs out all of these entitlements won’t do anyone any good anyway. There is no such thing as a free lunch. We cannot afford to keep giving people more and more entitlements like this that only protect them from facing the consequences of their own actions. And when those people who are working and funding those programs can’t fund it anymore those who are dependent on the government will have difficulty adjusting to doing things for themselves again. The democrats outrageous entitlement programs are not charity. People who stand against useless entitlements are doing the country a much better service.

-They only hate the President because he is black and they hate Mexicans because they’re immigrants!

Criticizing the President is not racist just because he is America’s first black president. And I have no problem with anyone who comes here legally. I have a problem with people who come here illegally. Illegal is not a race, such as Mexican. It is a status that is unacceptable. And if you really think wanting a tougher crackdown on illegal immigration is hating immigrants then let’s talk about immigrants who go to Mexico. They actually enforce immigration laws. Would it still be hateful of me to go down there with no legal papers and expect to be given free health care, exceptions from certain laws, exceptions from certain taxes, exceptions from documentation, a guaranteed job, free enrollment in entitlement programs, and that it be illegal to display a Mexican flag anywhere near me because I find if offensive? That would be hateful, demanding that the country accommodate my every need while showing no respect for or desire to learn anything about the country.

I believe in the principles this country was founded on, I believe that this government has gotten too big and too out of control, and I intend to continue to express those beliefs. That doesn’t make me a hateful person. That makes me willing to get involved and do something about the problems I see instead of just sitting at home complaining about them.

~Eliza