Read Lumsden & Smith Speeches Delivered to Crowd at Rome’s First Tax Day Tea Party

April 18, 2009

As I told my readers in my April 15, 2009 report, while all the speeches given at the Rome Tax Day Tea Party were good, the speeches of Floyd County Commissioner Eddie Lumsden and Georgia State Senator Preston Smith were my favorites. Both have allowed RomeNewsByWatson.com to post his speech, below, which we know will be a treat for our readers.

Senator Preston Smith’s Tea Party Speech

On the evening of December 16, 1773, a group of patriots gathered dockside at a place named ‘Old South Meeting House’ nestled in Griffin’s Warf in Boston, Massachusetts. Warmed only by the fire in their own belly, over the course of three hours, more than 100 of the participants helped to heave 346 chests – or 46 tons of tea leaves into the harbor.

At the time, the tea was worth 10,000 British pounds or about one million dollars today. That 90,000 lbs. of tea represented the equivalent of 18.5 million cups of tea and turned the water in the harbor brown for several days

If you visit Boston today to see where history occurred, you will discover that Griffin’s Wharf no longer exists. This stretch of Boston’s docks and coastline was filled-in during the 19th century. But you can still see the Old South Meeting House, located at 33 Arch Street, just a few blocks from where Griffin’s Wharf used to be.

Although dirt has been moved and the landscape of wharves has been altered, our shared history cannot be buried. The spirit that embodied the brave men and women gathered on that cold Boston night echoes through our own citizens. You can see its progeny today on the faces of those gathered here and scattered near town halls, capitols and watersides in communities all over our mountain majesties and fruited plains. This is Rome, Georgia’s version of Griffin’s Warf – and our ‘Old South Meeting House’.

Those gathered by the water in the twilight hours of that cold New England night were not from a single political party. They were a diverse group that shared a love of their country and a deep concern that their government was not listening to them. Woven through the hearts of those dedicated citizens was a common thread that bound them all together – a belief that the long arm of government had reached across the Atlantic Ocean and sought to control their lives through unreasonable and punitive tax policies.
Our government attained its greatness by embracing the freedom of its citizens. By encouraging creativity and ingenuity, we have rewarded success and wealth creation rather than punishing it. We are formed in the image of a creator God. And, a nation of free men and women reflects that character when they are allowed to flourish, to become educated, and to produce.� Because of that rugged individualism and determination to succeed, our country has led the world in creating the mass production of the modern automobile, taken to the skies in flight, and landed on the moon.� We have cured diseases and generated more technology breakthroughs and wealth than any other nation on earth.

But now, having realized the success of which the labors of liberty have given birth, many in our government have adopted a new philosophy.� Rather than incentivizing growth, creativity, industry, discovery, job creation and wealth building, big government proponents want to confiscate that wealth and redistribute it among the masses.

About the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:

“A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority will always vote for candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy.”

With his typical rhetorical flourish, Winston Churchill quipped, “You don’t make the poor richer by making the rich poorer.”� He also said, “We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.”

President Coolidge summed it up this way, “The collection of taxes beyond that which is absolutely required is only a species of legalized larceny. The wise and correct course to follow in taxation is not to destroy those who have already secured success, but to create conditions under which everyone will have a better chance to be successful.

How far down this road are we willing to travel?� Like the frog in the cauldron, every time the US Congress convenes, the water gets a little hotter for all the rest of us.�
The Gettysburg Address was a total of 272 words expressed in 10 sentences.� The Declaration of Independence, the words that launched our nation — 1,300 words. The Bible, the word of God — 773,000 words. The US tax code, the words of politicians – more than 3.7 million words — and growing!� Since the beginning of 2001, there have been more than 3,250 changes to the tax code — an average of more than one a day — including more than 500 changes last year alone.� A 2005 study by the Tax Foundation, a tax research organization, found that the number of words in the code has more than tripled since 1975.

We approach the point where people have ceded so much of their own personal liberty and responsibility to the government that they are now dependent upon that same government to take care of them.� I have seen it in my own service.� People who publically denounce pork projects and non-essential government spending still ask me to help obtain government funding for their pet projects.� Americans denounce “those other guys” in Congress, but like their own because he can bring things home to his own district.

Simply put, there is a cost to such a large, nanny-state government.� This year the average American will work more than half of the year to support the cost of government.� If people had to pay that tax bill at one time, they would never stand for it.

But, taxpayers who have given up so much to government find it hard to stand now and criticize it for taking and spending so much of their heard earned money.� Because, as Jefferson said, “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take away everything you have.”

The seeds of liberty that formed our country still incubate today.� But every year that we fail to cultivate and nurture them means that fewer and fewer sprout.� Ben Franklin explained that, “Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.”

You see, this concept of democracy, scope of government, taxation, and liberty is intertwined.� I am not calling for an armed revolution nor am I predicting the end of our democracy.� What I am saying is that we stand together today at a cross-roads - people of diverse backgrounds in this community and in others dotted across our great land.� It is a wake-up call and an alarm to be sounded warning those in government that we will not tolerate the systematic dismantling of the principles upon which our country has prospered.

This year, your Georgia legislature faced the most significant decline in revenue in modern history.� Yet, we found a way to pass two balanced budgets within three months.� Many wonder how politicians in Washington, DC fail to come within a TRILLION dollars of balancing their budget, but Georgia can do it twice in three months.� The answer is simple – CUT SPENDING.� The Georgia legislature reduced the size and scope of state government by nearly $3 Billion dollars with no pork projects and no tax increases.� Yes, state government actually shrank.

There are a few leaders in Washington that fight for us.� But the time has come that we send a strong and unequivocal message to politicians in Washington, DC.� We will no longer tolerate you plundering our house.� You are not better situated to understand the needs of the individuals in our community.� And, we refuse to become permanently dependent upon you for our own success and well-being.

Dr. Adrian Rogers summed it up best:

“You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.� The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”

I stand with you today and other patriots across our state and nation.� Let’s throw some tea into our Griffin’s Warf right here on the riverbanks in Rome, Georgia.� And, let’s proclaim that we will not be silenced and we will not stand quietly by and allow the sacrifices of so many to be squandered by a few federal office holders today who believe they can cavalierly spend now and leave the bill to our children and grandchildren.

* State Sen. Preston Smith (R-Rome) serves as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and represents Floyd, Bartow and Gordon Counties.

Floyd County Commissioner Eddie Lumsden’s Tax Day Tea Party Speech

About the time our founding fathers were signing the Declaration of Independence, a Scottish History Professor at the University of Edinburgh by the name of Alexander Tyler, had this to say about the fall of the great Athenian Republic, the birth place of democracy.

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply can not exist as a permanent form of government.� A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.� From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidate that promises the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy which is always followed by a dictatorship.”

He went on to say:

“The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations is about 200 years.� During those 200 years each nation went through a social progression that followed a common pattern:
1.� From bondage to spiritual faith.�
2.� From spiritual faith to great courage.�
3.� From courage to liberty.�
4.� From Liberty to abundance
5.� From abundance to complacency.�
6.� From complacency to apathy.�
7.� From apathy to dependence.�
8.� From dependency back into bondage

I believe we have just witnessed an event in this past election cycle that parallel’s the observation made by Professor Tyler.

We are seeing before our eyes on a daily basis how our elected officials are giving away the public treasury to those who have been irresponsible, unwise and in some cases criminal in their professional and personal practices.

They are giving benefits to those who are not legal citizens and have never paid a dime in taxes.�

Where did that money come from?� It came from your pocket and my pocket and will come from the pockets of our children and grand children and great grand children.

During the last campaign Joe Biden said that it is patriotic for Americans to pay more taxes.� Since taking over in Washington the liberals in congress have decided we should all be more patriotic.� They have PASSED or PROPOSED more than 5 trillion dollars in new spending and over 1.4 trillion in new taxes.

I don’t know about you but I don’t believe there is anything patriotic about giving more of our hard earned money to the government to bankroll their
liberal agenda,
to increase spending to record� levels,
to change the tax code to redistribute the wealth of working families
or destroy the savings of millions of middle class Americans.

So on this Tax Day, April 15th,� join me and millions of other Americans who are fed up with the liberal tax and spend policies of Washington and send our elected officials a clear message that we� will� not� stand for…. the largest tax hike in American History.�

Perhaps we should Send them a tea bag!!!!!

Eddie Lumsden, Floyd County Commissioner
Teresa Watson’s Tea Party Speech - An Independent Voter’s Perspective

Good Afternoon,

My name is Teresa Watson, I am a muckraker, and today, I am here to talk to you about THREE THINGS.

1)� The Erosion of our Civil Liberties.�

2) The Sacrifice Which WILL be Required to fight to Restore our Civil Liberties.�

3)� The Priceless Reward for those willing to answer the calling to continue the fight which was begun more than 200 years ago.�

I have been crusading against public corruption for some nine years now, and in 2007, launched my website to dedicated to exposing corruption. But my efforts have not been without sacrifice.� I have been publicly scorned by other news outlets, and I been ostracized by politicos who are supported by those involved in organized crime.� I have been attacked through litigation by those I go after, and I have been physically threatened numerous time, including gun shots fired over the phone and left on the answering machine as a chilling reminder of what is none of my business.� Most recently, I received a Death Threat from a caller who used a phone traced back to one of the attorneys who have attacked me in litigation to shut me down.

It has been a hard fight.� It has been an expensive fight, and many of the battles are still not over.

But Friends, we are in a struggle for our survival.� We are engaged in warfare for our very liberties, our futures, our COUNTRY.�

And in war, sacrifices must be made.�

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security issued a report entitled:

“Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalism and Recruitment”.

While I did not read a specific reference to Tea Party goers, I did find the following groups identified in the report.� When lumped together, one can only infer that these “problem” groups, would be the VERY individuals who would be attending the Tea Parties held across this nation today:

Returning Iraq War veterans.
Gun enthusiasts
Christians who believe in “End-time” prophecy.
Illegal Immigration Activists
Americans disgruntled about the perceived economic climate.

The paper goes on to suggest that this “resurgence” is also the result of white supremacist groups and their response to the election of the United States’ first African American president, making any redress against current policies a RACE Issue.

AS a Conservative Independent, I support Democratic candidates when they are the best candidate for a position, and have supported AFRICAN AMERICAN candidates of both parties.�

After writing about gross civil rights violations of peoples of color, I was contacted by and am now currently working with Edward Dubose, the head of the Georgia Chapter of the NAACP.� So, I take issue with this insinuation that I, as a protestor of some of my own government’s policies, like immigration, economics and gun control, should be considered an extremist and white supremacist.

This DHS REPORT is a Race-Bating, Hate-mongering piece of Propaganda, contrived to intimidate those who would redress their grievances against their government, as we begin to awaken to the invasion by a silent enemy sent to Erode our Civil Liberties and silence dissent.

But this invasion did not occur over night nor over even one election cycle.� It began years ago, as a Complacent American Electorate, mesmerized by the petty bickering of partisan politics, allowed power mongers on both sides of the aisle to distract� us from real issues.� We the American Electorate have fallen Asleep at the Wheel.� WE have birthed a void of leadership in Washington.�� WE have allowed our elected officials to slide for too long, without holding them accountable.

Republican and Democratic officials alike allowed the creeping Kudzu of tax and spend policy to consume this country.� Leafing through any year’s “Pig Book”, published annually by some members of Congress, reveals just as many Republican-sponsored pork barrel projects as those sponsored by Democrats.�

Risky policies, begun under the previous Democratic administration at the mortgage institutions of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, were continued for eight years under the Bush Administration, causing a near insolvency crisis, catapulting this country into a severe recession.�

Criminal activities by Wall Street hedge fund managers and Ponzi Scheme Operators occurred on the Watch of a Republican Administration’s SEC and Justice Department.�

The result? Out of control spending, a budget which threatens to bankrupt our children and grandchildren, and civil liberties eroding before our very eyes, threatening even our First Amendment rights of FREE SPEECH, FREE PRESS and the right to Redress our Government.

Friends, simply attending a Tea Party will not be enough to restore our Liberties.�

Are you willing sacrifice for what you say you believe in?�

Are you willing to lose your job or your clients or your income to take a stand?

I have.

Are you willing to be to be sued in courts of law, spending every last penny you have to fight legal battles to defend the freedoms you say you believe in?

I have.

Are you willing to risk your life?

I have.

Commitment of finances, time, and yes, even reputation - That is what it will take to secure our liberties again.��

Come join the ranks of Patriots who first forged that Declaration which branded each signer for Treason.� Join the ranks of those who, for centuries now, have fought on battlefields sacrificing everything to secure our freedom.��

The rewards are priceless.�

Patriot eyes have witnessed not only the birth of a Nation, but through each generation’s eyes have seen marvelous things:

Patriot eyes have witnessed a nation, torn asunder by civil strife, healed by the Grace of God.

Patriot eyes have seen the streets of Europe liberated from a monster tyrant, and decades later,� a Monster Curtain of Iron torn down.�

But you must remain vigilant and make your voice heard,� demanding change and demanding justice for those weaker than yourself. Then too your eyes will begin to see acts of freedom in your own time:�

1. The overhaul of a tax system which burdens the middle class.
2. The transformation of entitlement programs, which have enslaved generations since the 1960’s.�

Who knows?� Through Patriot eyes, you may soon witness the liberation of NWGA, as Special Investigator Richard Hyde, working under former Attorney General Mike Bowers, Special Prosecutor for the Judicial Qualifications Commission, reveals the results of their criminal investigation into Judicial Corruption in Floyd and Chattooga County, such that the words of our Pledge of Allegiance will ring true once again…AND JUSTICE for ALL.

Teresa Watson

April 15, 2009 Rome’s Tax Day Tea Party Huge Success

A crowd of more than 400 peaceful protesters gathered in the parking lot of Mel Funk’s restaurant, Opi’s Waterfront Grill, to listen to Tax Day Tea Party speakers and to witness the symbolic dumping of loose tea leaves into the Oostanaula River from the John Ross Memorial Bridge.

Speakers for the event ranged from frequent Fox News Channel guest, United States Congressman, Jack Kingston, of Savannah, Georgia’s District 1, to small business owners in Rome, Georgia, like Randy Smith.

The speeches were sometimes funny, sometimes challenging and all were informative.� This reporter’s favorite speeches were those by Floyd County Commissioner Eddie Lumsden, State Senator Preston Smith and State Representative Barry Loudermilk.� But out of at least ten speakers, there were no stinkers, nothing boring, and all had something valid and encouraging to share about taking back control of the Federal Government, which is supposed to be government “of the people, by the people and for the people”, reigning in federal spending and reducing taxes.

I was shocked to learn from one speaker that the Federal government’s newest annual budget averages $50,000.00 per year, per citizen in the United States.�

Opi’s waitress and beautifully voiced singer, Samantha(Sam)Weekly provided the crowd with her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, while dressed in Native American dress.

Readers may recall from American History that the Patriots who gathered on that December night back in 1773 to protest the British Crown’s latest taxation, by dumping barrels of tea into the Boston Harbor, disguised themselves as Native Americans.� In keeping with this theme, Mel Funk had his wait staff dress in Native American attire to commemorate the event. After Preston Smith’s speech, organizer Mike Morton asked the crowd to turn and watch, as they costumed ladies stood on the John Ross Memorial Bridge, and dumped the loose leaf tea into the river.

Crowds were treated to the music of Buck and Duke prior to the ceremonies, and again throughout the afternoon lunch hour.

Organizer Mike Morton told the crowd that this event was such a success, he is planning other similar gatherings on July 4th, 2009 and again on September 11, 2009.

While a saw a number of friends who are sworn Democrats at the event, I was saddened that none of the official Democratic leadership, local or state, accepted speaking invitations for the event.

Many of those peaceful protesters at Rome’s Tea Party, later joined up to caravan to this evening’s Atlanta Tea Party, which will be covered by Fox News.

Special thanks to our men and women in Blue - those officers of the Rome Police Department, who provided discrete protection and crowd control.���
Teresa Watson

�

April 13, 2009

A bi-partisan group of Floyd County Citizens has undertaken to hold an April 15th, Tax-Day Tea Party in downtown Rome, Georgia.

According to organizer, Mike Morton, the Floyd County Republican Chairperson, “Tax
Day Tea Parties will be held in over 500 cities and towns across this great nation with hundreds and hundreds of thousands of great Americans joining us. We already have over 300 folks “signed up” and that’s just the ones who have contacted us”.

Morton believes that it will be possible to see upwards of 1000 or more participating here locally.

“Just as the citizens in the soon to be established American republic came together in Boston in 1773 to reject excessive taxation by the Crown, so too do we come together now to reject oppressive taxation, runaway spending, and this rapid gallop toward socialism. We come together to let our voices be heard and we can and will make a difference”. Quoting Senator Chip Rigers, R-Powder Springs, Georgia, Powder Springs, Georgia, Morton continued, “If someone broke into your home and stole all your belongings, you would go after them. Let’s go after them!”

Festivities will kick off at 11:30 A.M. with a gathering at Opi’s Waterfront Grill parking lot, located next to the Hawthorne Suits right off of Tribune Street. The program will begin at 11:50 am, with Prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, and the National Anthem, sung by Rome’s own Samantha Weekly, and other music and patriotic songs will be provided by Buck and Duke.

Special Guest Speaker will be United States Congressman from Savannah, Georgia, Jack Kingston, (Republican). According to Kingston, a frequent Fox News Guest promoting Tax Reform , “All across Georgia and all across America, folks are gathering together for TEA parties. These demonstrate our frustration with an outdated tax code and the burden it places on small businesses and working families. I hope we can turn that frustration into action and get the discussion moving on reforming the tax code to provide for a more prosperous future.”

Other Speakers will include State Senator Preston Smith, House Representative Katie Dempsey, House Representative Barry Loudermilk, Jared Thomas of Americans for Prosperity, Sherri Reese of Don’t Go Movement and State Tea Party Coordinator. County Commissioners Eddie Lumsden and Irwin Bagwell, as well as small businessmen Mel Funk and Randy Smith.

�This humble reporter will also speak, representing an Independent Voter’s critique of Republican and Democratic failures.

Tea leaves will be dumped into the Oostanaula River from the John Ross Memorial Bridge. After the festivities, citizens are encouraged to gather at Opi’s Waterfront Grill for debriefing, networking, and idea sharing, while dining and listening to the music of Buck and Duke.

Teresa Watson