For those of you who weren’t able to make it to the Tax Day Teaparty by the James River in Lynchburg Wednesday night, you missed a heck of a crowd.
On a church night, in the rain, an estimated crowd of 1,200 – 1,800 people showed up to exercise their First Amendment right to petition the government, in unison, for a redress of their grievances. It was a beautiful thing.
It was an honor to speak to so many of my friends and neighbors, and I humbly thank the organizers, Ray Coble and Brendan McIntyre, for inviting me.
There were many speakers there Wednesday night, all better known than yours truly (and much more polished), but I got a sense that my message, coming from a regular guy, resonated with the crowd a bit more than the standard stump speeches of our local politicians.
I was advised, in writing my speech, to try to avoid stepping on anyone’s toes. And I took that advice. I did not set out to merely step on toes, but to STOMP on them. A gentle nudge may wake a sleeping person, but they are more apt to hit the “snooze” button and go back to sleep. We cannot afford for that to happen, in my opinion, so I set out to wake people up, fully, so a return to restful complacence would not be an option.
So, here is the written version of the speech I gave, for those of you who missed it. Let me know if you think I accomplished my goal.
Good evening! I was told there would be a bunch of malcontents and rabble-rousers out here this evening. It would appear that I was grossly misinformed! We are all right-wing extremists, now, according to Homeland Security.
It’s okay, though. Nothing to be ashamed of. I found a quote from another well-known rabble-rouser. He wrote a letter in 1787 stating, “I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the atmosphere.” (Letter to Abigail Adams, 22 February 1787)
His name was Thomas Jefferson. And, by the way, I’ve seen bumper stickers that say he was a Democrat, not a ‘right-wing extremist.’
Look, I’m not here this evening to talk about why we’re here. We all know why. MY real question is this: Where do we go from here? All this collected energy, and I’m happy to see it, don’t get me wrong, but does it just disperse as we will when we leave here?
While the old addage of “strength in numbers” holds true to a certain extent, it is imperative for us to keep this one simple point fresh in our minds: this is a nation of INDIVIDUALS. THIS is what we are rebelling against tonight. This idea of “the collective.” The smallest minority on Earth is the individual. And every single politician that stands before you and proclaims it your moral duty to “contribute” to some “common good” is engaged in hyperbole to promote the same end: discrimination against you, that smallest of all minorities, the individual taxpayer. Forcible confiscation of the fruits of your labor is not “contributing.” And to foist upon you that line about the “common good” is the height of arrogance. Who decides what “good” is “common?” And by what right? What’s good for you and your family may be decidedly bad for someone else.
YOU must take on the task of carrying this energy forth from this place tonight and channeling it into more productive change. What can you do? 3 simple things: Most importantly, Vote! Every time. Not just for President or Senate or Congress. Vote for your city council, board of supervisors, school board. Get involved, get informed, and vote.
Number 2: Talk to people. Get them involved. Who? EVERYone! Co-workers, neighbors, people who happen to be in the same aisle as you in the grocery store. ENGAGE! You’ll be surprised how many people will listen, give feedback, and share your views. And encourage THEM to vote, too.
And number 3, arguably the hardest thing to get people who share our views to do: run! Run for office. Congress, House of Delegates, local offices. Hell, DOGCATCHER! Stand up and run! The cries of “Kick ‘em all out!” Fall on deaf ears if there’s no one running against them. Don’t wait for someone else to do it. You have values and convictions. I know you do. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be out here tonight. So stand up for those ideas!
Now, you’ll say, “But, Bradley, I don’t know many people. I don’t have a huge bank account. I don’t have a huge fundraising machine.”
Well, guess what? I don’t either. But I’m running for House of Representatives next year. Am I nuts? Okay, maybe a little. But I’m also confident in my convictions and my message.
We need REAL and binding tax reform, like the FairTax. We need to return to limited government, as outlined in the 10th Amendment. We need to set up a roadblock on either end of Gucci Gulch in DC to cripple lobbyists and shut down K Street. And, most importantly, we need to return to a political class that sees us, the American people, as their masters, not their servants.
When 40% of the House and 60+% of the Senate are made up of lawyers, guess who gets the best representation? That’s right, lawyers. Are you a lawyer? Maybe a few of you are. Congratulations! YOU are being represented in DC.
What about the rest of us? I’m not a lawyer. I work on an assembly line. Is there anyone in Congress who came from an assembly line? What about housewives, or truckers, or bricklayers, or printing press operators? Not a one. So, is it fair to say these people are not being represented? I don’t think it’s a stretch.
So, again, if an assembly line worker can stand up and run for Congress, what’s stopping YOU? Vote, speak out, run. All of these things require action on the part of you, as an individual. THAT’S what made this country the best and most prosperous in the world, and THAT same productive action, undertaken by INDIVIDUALS, will bring us back there.
Thank you for coming out, thanks for listening, God bless you, your family, and this awesome country. And, in parting, remember, take this energy here tonight and invest it, as ONLY YOU can, in a better future and TRUE change.
Thank you.
