The Randolph County Tea Party meets at 6:30 pm at the Moose Lodge in Winchester, Indiana. Admission is free and the meetings are open to all.

Project Portland

As part of its educational mission, the Randolph Tea Party will be supporting efforts to expand the principles of conservatism in Jay County, Indiana.

Project Portland is the first step in increasing awareness of the Tea Party movement in Jay County. Subsequently, there will be a meeting held on January 29, 2012. Jay County Community Center 2 pm - 5 pm Please contact friends and family in Jay County and encourage them to attend!

RANDOLPH COUNTY TEA PARTY
JANUARY 5, 2012

The Randolph County Tea Party met on Thursday January 5th at 6:30 p.m. at the Moose Lodge in Winchester.  The meeting was opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance and singing of the National Anthem.
 
Ron Preston introduced our guest speaker, Luke Messer, a GOP candidate for the United States House of Representatives 6th District of Indiana.
 
Mr. Messer stated he had determined to run for this office because we have a need to increase freedom and decrease government. He stated he feels that currently our Nation is poorly led and he is running because he feels the US is at a point of crisis. He noted the great pessimism that is current and stated there is nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed. He noted the current approval rating for Congress of 12% and stated that we all want our next generation to have the same opportunities that we have had.
 
During the Question and Answer period, the following audience questions were addressed:

Term limits - feels there is a need for term limits and suggested 12 year limits.

Where would he start making cuts – delete the Department of Education and return funds to the States in the form of block grants, gradually eliminating the Federal Education Department and freeze the spending and budgets of other departments? He also stated we should consider eliminating the Department of Energy and let the market lead the way in energy.

Should the US get out of the UN? Mr. Messer stated that the US must preserve our Country’s sovereignty but stated this would not necessarily mean a total pull out of the UN. He commented that we must take a look at foreign aid and the return we get on our dollars.

Stance on Right To Work - Feels this is a state issue rather than a federal issue and would not support Federal Right to Work legislation.

Global Warming? Feels it is not a question of whether it exists, but rather a question of what are the consequences and what the government can or should do to fix it. Does not feel it is something that the government should intervene on and is not something we should give up our Country’s sovereignty for.

What about the benefits and pay that Congressmen have? He states he is very concerned about the influence that “careerists” in Washington have and feels that Congress should live under the laws it passes.

Could Congress work part-time? Mr. Messer commented that it works for the states.

What are the main issues in Washington? Government spending and the tax code. Mr. Messer discussed the current tax system, tax credits and the unfair burden on some.

What effect is the EPA having on businesses? Feels the businesses are over-regulated.

What do we need to do to address illegal immigration? Secure our borders, give no amnesty, send criminal illegal immigrants home and continue to decrease the cost of illegal immigration.

Following Mr. Messer’s address and Q&A period, Sharon gave an update on the Richard Mourdock campaign, noting that a phone bank for Mr. Mourdock will be set up at the Wick’s Pie building next week and asked for volunteers to cover this.
 
Dodie reported on State Legislative issues, noting that Indiana’s proposal for a Right to Work legislation is scheduled for debate at the opening session of Indiana’s congress this Friday. There is great push back for this legislation from the Democrats in the Indiana House and Senate and there is concern that the Democrats will “walk out” again this session. The Democrats have already failed to report for the session, instead holding a democrat caucus meeting that lasted for hours.
 
Additional legislation to watch in this session includes efforts to remove the death tax in Indiana.
 
Please see attached power point for update on 2012 elections!

Our straw poll was again held with the following results:

• Santorum……….70%
• Gingrich……….16%
• Paul…………… 8%
• Perry…………..2%

Ron described the “Operation Portland” event that the Steering Committee has suggested. This event will be a “meet and greet” held in Portland to have our Tea Party members attend in order to help Jay County start or enlarge their Tea Party. The current leader of the very small Jay County Tea Party has been contacted and is very supportive of us bringing our members and story to Portland to encourage residents to become active in the Tea Party.
 
The event is scheduled for Sunday January 29th from 2-5 pm at the Jay County Community Center. We are asking members to bring cookies to be used at this event to the January 19th meeting. We will be providing cookies, soft drinks and coffee. We will take our literature, our banners and some power point presentations to let the attendees know what can be done and the results we have had.
 
The cost of renting the Community Center, newspaper ads etc was discussed and approved by the group. Dean will be following up with the radio station in Portland to get the event listed, Dodie will contact Kick’s 96 Free Plug Friday, Herb will contact WZZY to get coverage.
 
During open discussion, it was suggested that we revise the vetting questions we used in 2010 and send these to the candidates who have addressed our group.
 
Upcoming events======
January 18th………………………..Don Bates will be filing candidacy at statehouse, time            
                           To be announced.
January 19th……………………… Regular Tea Party meeting, Richard Mourdock guest                                  speaker
January 28th………………………..Legislative UpDate at 4-H grounds  9 a.m
January 29th……………………….Operation Portland Meet and Greet 2-5 pm.
 
February 2nd……………………….Regular Tea Party meeting, Bill Davis speaker
 
BRING COOKIES TO THE JANUARY 19TH MEETING TO DONATE FOR THE “OPERATION PORTLAND” EVENT ON January 29th
 
RICHARD MOURDOCK, TREASURER STATE OF INDIANA AND CANDIDATE FOR UNITED STATES SENATE WILL SPEAK AT THE JANUARY 19TH MEETING. NOT ONLY IS RICHARD A GREAT CANDIDATE, HE IS AN EXCEPTIONAL SPEAKER…..PLEASE ATTEND AND BRING COOKIES
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