I’m Ready. What Can I Do?
I’ve had several phone chats this week from folks who have just sought out the Tea Party and are frustrated, angry, fed up with what’s happening in our county and in our state and all of them have asked some form of this question … “What can I do? Just tell me and I’ll do it.”
I wrote a while back that while many of us “woke up” in 2008/2009 and have been learning and working and paying attention and speaking out for a few years, there would be MANY who did not catch the tea party’s launch but would at some point have a moment where they knew they needed to do something. And that we should make sure we are there, and listening, and welcoming and ready to invite them to help! For some reason, at least here in Spartanburg, that time has come. I’ve received more calls and emails in the past few weeks that begin “Hey are you the Tea Party? I’ve been looking to get involved. What do I do?”
Glad you asked. Here’s a list off the top of my head. Pick a few things you are interested in, think you have time for, that may fit the niche you envisioned and get to work!
>Attend County Council meetings, 3rd Monday of the month, will be announced here.
>Thank your Councilman/woman! They have worked with determination this year to make our county more responsive to taxpayers, have accomplished some very conservative goals, have given us a balanced county budget. These are HUGE accomplishments! Email the Chairman here jhorton@spartanburgcounty.org and ask him to share your thoughts with all of of them if you don’t know how to get in touch with them individually. Mission 2 … find out how to get in touch with them!
>Start a Freedom Fund. The primaries are coming and you WILL want to support some candidates. They will need money to run. Begin saving now so when they file you can immediately help them out.
>Write letters to the editor. Although our local paper, the Spartanburg Herald Journal is not a bastion of conservativism (endorsing Sheheen for example), they are reasonably evenhanded in printing the voice of conservatives on their opinion page and letters to editor. Read what’s being talked about and send some responses in. Less than 300 words, email to chris.horeth@shj.com, and you can read each day online Here, then click Opinion at the top, then Letters.
>Attend Spartanburg County GOP Executive Committee meetings, held quarterly. These meetings are open to the public. Get to know your county officers, and others involved in our party in our county. Next meeting is this Monday the 12th at 7 PM at the County Admin building on Church Street.
>Learn how to contact your reps and senators at the state and DC levels. Look up in the right corner of this webpage, see the “click here for contact info” links? Be a voice, THANK THEM when they’ve represented you well.
>Take action on items posted on our website. Many times I’ll bring you an issue and let you know who to contact and how. I try to make it easy to be an activist! Keep watch and take action.
>South Carolina has a unique opportunity to have an early say in the Presidential Primary race. The State GOP has to raise money to hold the primary events across the state. Visit their website and make a small donation to ensure we are able to keep our unique position of First in the South. South Carolinians really do have a voice!
>Watch for local meetings and attend them and get to know other like minded folks. I try to keep you informed here of what else is happening. Check out the meetings of the Concerned Citizens for Efficient Government, the Palmetto House Republican Women, and special events such as the upcoming Constitution Day celebration on September 17.
>Watch the debates. Attend the town halls. There is no substitute for hearing with your own ears, seeing with your own eyes. And you are in a better position to share with others your observations and convictions if they are first hand, not reported or read the next day.
>Find local fairs and events that the Spartanburg Tea Party can set up a table and do some outreach. I am usually available to attend and can get a couple volunteers to help but I need YOU to let me know what’s going on in your community.
>Volunteer for a campaign. After the first of the year, and particularly after the Presidential Preference Primary our local and state 2012 primary campaigns will really start moving. Every one of us should investigate the candidates and volunteer for a campaign. There is no substitute for a vigorous volunteer effort to help a candidate win a primary!
>Attend our Constitution Classes. Since January we’ve held monthly Constitution Classes at the downtown library, usually on the last Saturday of the month. Click here for info. Our next class is September 24.
>Attend Poll Worker Training! September 13, 14, 15. call Henry Laye at (864) 596-2549 or email him at hlaye@spartanburgcounty.org to sign up
>Host a meet and greet/fundraiser in your home with family and friends to get to know local candidates.
>Begin attending local school board meetings. I have a schedule of when each district meets, call me 864.384.7558 to find out details for your district.
Okay that’s my quickly put together list. There are LOTS more things for each of us to tackle! Find your niche, persevere, keep learning, invite others to help!
September 9, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized
3 Responses
WJ Mitchell - September 9, 2011
Please create a bullet list of these items and have it ready to expand as others come to your mind, then set it on the side bar of the web sight. I particularly appreciate that you are listing ways for people to contribute that have nothing to do with perpetuating the “Tea Party” itself e.g. fundraising, marketing, etc. Every item listed is common sense civic duties taken thoughtfully, seriously and systematically. Thank you.
Dr Ira Williams - September 10, 2011
In response to WJ Mitchell,
Priority #!: Defeat Obama’s reelection.
Priority #2: Vigorously support next year’s GOP nominee, whoever he or she might be.
Be open-minded & accept other people’s differences of opinion without anger.
Pick specific subjects (1-3) near & dear to your heart & seek to learn as many “facts” about each subject as you can. Understanding must be based upon Facts.
Think & speak positively (diminish negativity, it does more harm than good).
The Tea Party Movement says that their efforts are based upon the Christian foundation our nation was founded upon – but do a number of individual tea party groups reflect what God wants: To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God, Micah 6:8.
IF we divide our house, we will fail to reach our goal – Defeat Obama!!!!!!
Bob Roberts - November 5, 2012
Is the goal to defeat Obama or to help the American people? Why would you seek to defeat Obama when Obama defeated Osama Bin Laden and captured his intelligence?
Perhaps it is better to focus on our own politicians. Nikki Haley claims to be creating jobs, but at what expense? As a small business owner I find it very insulting that she gives tax breaks to my online competitors Amazon and Walmart. I am the one who needs the tax breaks. Amazon and Wal-mart are giving the state not jobs, but economic slave wage positions. I could offer higher paying jobs to educated individuals if I had 5 years with no taxes.
Contusion of big business is what the tea-party created with Nicki Haley. I look not at what they promise, I look at what they deliver. It is so easy to get caught up in the ideology, but in the end we must vote for good leaders who make decisions based on “quid pro quo” – not ideology. Ideologies are so much easier to believe in. Ideologies offer a hands off approach to government. It leads to hypocrisy every time. I will never vote for leaders who give huge tax breaks to my online competitors, that’s for sure.
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