Tom Foley sounds like a patriotic American, but his letter misses the true meaning behind the Tea Parties. The Tea Parties were intended to make a statement about the egregious government power-grab, and the unprecedented growth in the federal budget deficit. It is not as much about the tax increases as it is about the ways government is going to spend our taxes. After a “line by line” campaign promise, the omnibus budget gets signed, inclusive of 7,000 pork projects. The majority of the tax hike revenue serves as a $318 billion down payment on universal health care.

Try telling your gifted child that if she works very hard, and grows up to be the best neurosurgeon in the world, bureaucrats will tell her whose life she can save, and what her reward will be for saving that life. The defense budget gets squeezed with a 4 percent boost next year, followed by regular 2 percent or less increases for the next few years. Democratic-favored domestic programs will receive 7 percent  yearly increases, even after the injection of cash from the “stimulus.”

Two final points which should make everyone want to attend a Tea Party: Congress gets a 7 percent to 8 percent operating increase, and foreign aid is on track to double. I was heartened to see many middle Americans at the tea party, and would venture to guess that the average salary of the crowd was well under $250,000.

Darren Harder
Old Orchard Beach