A TEA Party Anniversary

Member Group : Glen Meakem

April 17-18 – A Tea Party Anniversary
This weekend, we broadcast the radio program from the campus of Grove City College, during the annual conference of The Center for Vision and Values. Click here to listen.
I interview Dr. Paul Kengor, who is executive director of The Center, Professor of Political Science, and author of the book, The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism. Paul discusses a paper that he gave Friday evening titled "Potemkin Progressives and Obama Progressives. Potemkin Progressives were people who lived in the 1920s and shared many of the same goals as Communists, including collectivism, centralized government, and heavy government regulation. Stalin and Lenin invited these progressives to the Soviet Union in order to convince them that a communist government does lead to a thriving state (utopia). Of course, there was no thriving state in the Soviet Union, so the Communists erected fake villages known as "Potemkin Villages," for the Progressives to tour. These Americans then returned to the United States and many wrote books praising Lenin and Stalin (before 1934 and the Red Terror when 20 million people were killed) and ended up working for the Roosevelt Administration.
Paul states that our current President is arguably the most progressive and the most left American President in history. Ironically, according to Gallup exit polling data, millions of Americans who describe themselves as conservative voted for Obama during the 2008 Presidential elections. Now that all Americans have a better sense of who President Obama is, he faces large and growing political challenges from Republicans, Independents, and Democrats alike.
I also interview Dr. Shawn Ritenour, a Professor of Economics who has written several articles including "God, Socialism and the Free Market." He also recently finished a book, Foundations of Economics: A Christian View. Shawn and I have a great discussion concerning the misguided thinking that suggests a large federal government is needed to implement "social justice" through the redistribution of wealth.
As Christians, Shawn and I agree that scripture teaches us to take care of the weak, the sick, and the needy, or those who cannot take care of themselves. This is a command given to us by God. However, it is our individual responsibility to meet the needs of others by drawing on our own wealth and property, not by stealing it first from our neighbor. The more that government taxes our prosperity and takes control of our property, the less we are able to increase our own wealth and help others who are suffering financially. By its nature, Progressivism violates the notion of private property. And without private property, there is no economic base for individuals to draw on in order to help those who are less fortunate.
The "Tea Party" movement celebrated its one year anniversary this week by again engaging in "Tax Day" Protests around the country. I spoke at the Pittsburgh event and was blown away by the diversity and size of the crowd. Nancy Pelosi calls us "Nazis," Harry Reid calls us "evil mongers," and Al Sharpton calls us "racists," but I call you "Americans." Thank you for standing up for lower taxes, limited government, strong defense, individual freedom, and personal responsibility. Thank you for standing firm against the socialist and progressive agenda. And thank you for standing to protect America. I will be speaking at the "Citizen’s Tea Party" on April 24 in front of the Beaver County Court House in Beaver County Pennsylvania. The event begins at 1 pm. I hope to see many of you there.
Sincerely,
Glen Meakem
Glen Meakem is a successful technology entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and conservative talk radio show host, who offers information and insights on how individuals and our nation can be more successful. Glen’s unique perspective has been shaped by his experiences as founder, chairman and CEO of the B2B internet success Freemarkets Inc – which he founded in 1995, took public in 1999, and sold to Ariba in 2004. In 2005, Glen co-founded Meakem Becker Venture Capital, a firm that invests in early stage start up companies. Concerned about the liberal political agenda that has gripped the United States and his home state of Pennsylvania, Glen launched the Glen Meakem Program in 2008. Glen served as an officer in the United States Army Reserve and is a veteran of the First Gulf War. He also earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard and his MBA from Harvard Business School. For more information about Glen and the Glen Meakem Radio Program, or to read his blog, please visit http://glenmeakem.com.
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