This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Tea Parties vs. "Occupy Wall Street"--How Much Do You Really Know?

Documentation of the differences between the Tea Party movement and the Occupy Wall Street phenomenon.

 

The most important difference between the Tea Party movement of the last two years and the Occupy Wall Street phenomenon of the last two months is the difference in the beliefs of each.

The Tea Party obviously believes that the actions and behavior of our government’s leadership, including adherence to founding principles needs to be improved in order to make our institutions function the way they were intended to.  Tea Party emphasis is on a return to the nation’s original constitutional principles regarding the size, authority and influence of government.

Find out what's happening in Loganville-Graysonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Occupy Wall Street’s beliefs have been difficult to identify by talking to participants, but as the phenomenon has grown, it has become clearer that many of them believe that replacing capitalism with a centrally-planned and controlled economic system, where we are moved closer to the equality of outcomes, or “Social Justice,” is what is needed.  Their emphasis is on replacement of the nation’s original constitutional principles regarding the size, authority and influence of government.

How those profoundly different viewpoints can be equated by the Left, including the President, is hard to understand.  One view is patently patriotic and the other is patently revolutionary.  One wants to correct the nation’s drift away from its original design while the other wants to throw away the nation’s original design and start over again.  The attempt to equate the two movements becomes understandable only if you assume that the motives of these folks are based in the obfuscation and propaganda value associated with Saul Alinsky and Cloward-Piven tactics of the Progressive movement.

Find out what's happening in Loganville-Graysonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In an attempt to document the differences between the Tea Party and OWS, I have reproduced the local Tea Party’s charter from their website, below:

 http://www.waltoncountyteapartypatriots.org/index.php/who-we-are 

In addition I have provided a link to a YouTube video montage of OWS demonstrations that is quite revealing: Please watch the video - HERE.

_________________________________________________________________

WHO WE ARE:  Walton County TEA Party Patriots is a non-profit, community service organization dedicated to the restoration of the United States of America as the world's "last best hope."

Madison: “The happy union of these States is a wonder; their Constitution a miracle; their example the hope of Liberty throughout the world.” (1829)

Lincoln: “We hold the power, and bear the responsibility. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of Earth.” (1862)

Reagan: "You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness…(1964)”

OUR MISSION: It is our mission to Educate, Encourage and Equip our fellow citizens with knowledge of the original blessings bestowed on us by our Creator through our forefathers, founders and framers; knowledge of our Judeo-Christian heritage that has since been all but replaced by a secular humanist world-view that ignores God's law in favor of man's law.

OUR PRIMARY BELIEFS: We believe in the fundamental Judeo-Christian conservative principles of our forefathers, founders and framers which are Life and the sanctity of it, Liberty and individual freedom and Happiness with the right to pursue it., Upon this Judeo-Christian moral law are based free markets, ownership of private property, limited government, restrained regulation, fiscal responsibility, equitable taxation, national defense, sovereign independence and the right to use our own God-given natural resources for the good of the nation. We believe in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution as the defining documents for our governance as a nation and as originally intended by the framers.  We believe that the Judiciary has no authority to create law, de facto or otherwise. We also believe that Congress and the Executive branch NEVER have the authority to create or deny rights that we hold as basic rights bestowed by our Creator; that no situation, whether deemed a threat or an emergency, should EVER change this. We believe that our government governs ONLY through the consent of the governed and that we the governed will remove our consent to the extent that the government has transgressed these principles and has violated its sacred trust.

FOUNDERS’ JUSTIFICATIONS FOR OUR BELIEFS:

Sense of Destiny: “We are more thoroughly an enlightened people, with respect to our political interests, than perhaps any other under heaven. Every man among us reads, and is so easy in his circumstances as to have leisure for conversations of improvement and for acquiring information.” Franklin

Fear of God: “It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.” Washington

Need of God: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Adams

Acknowledgement of God: “We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Jefferson

Original Constitutional Intent: “Do not separate text from historical background. If you do you will have perverted and subverted the Constitution, which can only end in a distorted, bastardized from of illegitimate government.” Madison

Consent of the People: The people are the only legitimate fountain of power; and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived.” Madison

“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men deriving their just power from the consent of the governed - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its power in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” Declaration of Independence

Sanctity of Life: “The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time” Jefferson

Individual Liberty: “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Declaration of Independence

Pursuit of Happiness: “The Constitution only gives you the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” Franklin

Private Property: “The personal right to acquire property, which is a natural right, gives to property when acquired, a right to protection, as a social right” Madison

Limited Government: “It’s not tyranny we desire: but a just, limited, federal government.” Hamilton

Restrained Regulation and Taxation: “A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.” Jefferson

Fiscal Responsibility: “A national debt if not excessive, will be to us a national blessing.” Hamilton

“All that seem indispensible in starting the account between the dead and the living, is to see that the debts against the latter do not exceed the advances made by the former.” Madison

National Sovereignty: “Commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto.” Jefferson

Warning of Entitlements: “I predict the future happiness for the Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” Jefferson

“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” Jefferson

“The class of citizens, who provide at once their own food and their own raiment, may be viewed as the most truly independent and happy.” Madison

Warning of Legislation:
“It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.” Madison

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Loganville-Grayson