An Associated Press article entitled “Crowded field courts far-right voting bloc” recently appeared on the front pages of newspapers across Montana. The author, Matt Gouras refers to the far-right voting bloc, which he links to the Tea Party.
Since when is being fiscally responsible, following the Constitution and supporting free markets far right? It sounds quite mainstream to us. Northwest Montana Patriot’s mission is “to attract, educate, organize and mobilize our fellow citizens to secure public policy consistent with our three core values of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free markets.” We are part of a 15-member Montana Tea Party Coalition that also holds these three core values.
These are not far-right beliefs, but rather the beliefs of a cross-section of Montanans and Americans. As a Tea Party, we have no platform and we do not take on social issues. We do, however, support our individual members who hold sincere beliefs that lead them to action on these issues.
We believe that the biggest threat to our nation is economic collapse under the weight of excessive, inefficient and unconstitutional government spending. Promoting fiscal sanity in government is not “far right.” It is the mainstream thinking of Americans who live their lives responsibly with common sense and self-reliance.
Julie Wolf
Kalispell