Spending Revolt Tour: Day 5 Update

The Spending Revolt National Tour stopped in Scranton on Sunday night for a Town Hall meeting, which was streamed live (and available here and below).

The Scranton Times-Tribune covered the event pretty well. But the story’s headline, “Spending Revolt bus rolls into Scranton with anti-government message,” was obviously written by someone who doesn’t fully understand the message.

The people I’ve met all across Pennsylvania are not “anti-government” but are “anti-unconstitutional government” that is trying to tax, borrow, and spend our state and nation to prosperity. Of course, if that were possible, Pennsylvania would be thriving rather than just surviving today.

Long before it was “cool” in Washington to bail out certain companies, try to stimulate the economy with government spending, and take over portions of the private sector, Gov. Rendell was doing all this and more in Pennsylvania. Since he came into office, state spending has increased at more than double the rate of inflation, state debt has soared by nearly 80% (an increase of $18 Billion), and we are continually told we don’t pay enough in taxes to pay for all these important government “investments” like the Arlen Specter Library and the John Murtha Center.

It’s hardly “anti-government” to suggest that We the People know how to better spend our money than do self-serving politicians in Washington and Harrisburg. We all want good government that protects citizens’ life, liberty and property, rather than always threatening it and taking it away.

As Thomas Jefferson said in his First Inaugural Address as President of These United States of America, “…a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise 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….”

If this is “anti-government,” then count me in with Tom!