The Tea Party Movement

The Tea Party movement has proven to be a force to be reckoned with. This political movement was a result of several unpopular government actions including the hotly protested health care bill. This group has no centralized leadership and consists of several small groups. Individuals who are supportive of the tea party movement want to see lower taxes and a cut in wasteful spending. They believe that the government should react to our federal deficits in the same manner that is expected of any member of society managing a personal budget. Members of the tea party agree that government has become bigger than necessary and needs to have a more limited scope. The name of this movement was selected in association with the Boston Tea Party incident that occured in the 1700s. This incident involved the destruction of British tea that they were taxed to purchase. The Boston Tea Party movement was based on the belief that there should be no taxation without representation. Current political actions by the government of the United States are being compared with the attitudes prevalent during the time of the Boston Tea Party.

Attempts to quell and negate the growing influence of the Tea Party have been unsuccessful. The spreading impact of the Tea Party has grown rapidly since the first Tea Party protest in 2009. The Tea Party movement demands fiscal responsibility from a reduced government. Tea Party ideals are closely aligned with Republican politics but members of the movement are quick to point out the failures of the Republican party. The voice of Tea Party members was heard loud and clear in the 2010 elections. The pick up of five senate seats, sixty three house seats and seven gubernatorial seats by Republicans reflect the strength of the Tea Party movement and the impact of activism.