A warning to the Tea Party

There are a lot of things I like about the Tea Party movement. Its commitment
to the Constitution is chief among them. I especially like how seriously this
movement views itself and the policy stances it stakes on behalf of average,
everyday taxpayers.
 
Yet it is for this same reason that I believe Tea Party leaders should be wary
of some of the party’s stances when it comes to specifics.
 
For example, the Republican Party is taking a lot of cheap shots for its Pledge
to America by activists who claim it’s a hollow shell of recycled initiatives,
weak on any policy with teeth. Conservative skeptics point to
“serious” proposals that would gut entire federal agencies such as
the Department of Education, the Department of Commerce and even the National
Endowment for the Arts.
 
But let’s be honest, this last one is not really a serious example of federal
largesse. By the agency’s own fiscal 2010 budget submission, it only asked for $161
million. Now, that’s hardly change one would find in between sofa cushions, but
in real values, it’s a drop in the ocean of red ink this government is swimming
in.
 
My point is simple. If Tea Party activists want to send an unequivocal
statement that the federal government has grown too large, and only by making
bold and sometimes “to the bone” cuts will we return to fiscal balance, then
leaders are better off leaving NEA funding off the policy table. It only
complicates the larger picture of entitlement spending new lawmakers should
focus on.
 
While I understand the rhetorical value of railing against such a mindless
social program, it doesn’t necessarily lend itself to serious, heady
discussions concerning spending Washington must be forced to have in the 2011
Congress.

Armstrong Williams is on Sirius/XM Power 169, 7-8 p.m. and 4-5 a.m., Monday through Friday. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/arightside, and follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/arightside.