Richmond Tea Party » Richmond Tea Party

Petition Drive for Jamie Radtke

Aha — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:50:10 +0000

Petition Drive for Jamie Radtke

THIS Saturday,

January 14, 8:30 a.m.

Several weeks ago, the Richmond TEA Party endorsed its very own Jamie Radtke for US Senate. An endorsement, however, will not get her on the ballot. The rules for the Senate race require that each candidate file petitions with 10,000 validated signatures in order to be on the Republican primary ballot on June 12. The rules require that candidates could not begin gathering those signatures until January 1 and that they must be submitted by March 23. As you can see, a lot of work must be done over the next ten-plus weeks. Jamie would certainly appreciate the assistance of anyone able and willing to gather these signatures. The first petition signing event occurred last Saturday, but it was just a start! The need is for RTP’ers to show up in mass to assist Jamie in gathering much needed signatures as well as educating the likely primary Republican voters who are to be contacted by all volunteers in this effort. To make it easy and very convenient for us, Jamie and her staff have compiled pre-printed lists of local neighborhoods with maps/addresses of the designated homes to contact. And, the list can be completed over a four or five day period. A list can may include from ten to twenty addresses to be contacted. If you are available, Jamie and her field staff will be welcoming volunteers at her campaign headquarters tomorrow, Saturday, January 14, 8:30 am. Jamie’s headquarters is located next to the RTP office at 9840 Midlothian Turnpike, 1.5 miles west of Powhite Parkway in Chesterfield County. For more information, you may contact Phil Rapp, RTP Executive Director, 804-441-3749 or philr@richmondteaparty.com. Jamie’s Field Director is Cole Muzio, at mailto:field@radtkeforsenate.com field@radtkeforsenate.com or 804-451-5985, ext. 2. Thank you and hope to see you tomorrow at Radtke for Senate headquarters! Phil Rapp

New Leadership, New Direction for a New Year

JoeGuarino — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:55:41 +0000

New Leadership, New Direction for a New Year

The Richmond Tea Party has embarked on a new direction with fresh faces in 2012. This year will be about communication and elections. If we don’t make a difference in Virginia and national politics—especially as a battleground state for the presidential race—we might as well pack up and go home. Yet, with the vigor and vitality that we have come to know from the thousands of supporters just in the Greater Richmond area, we have the hope and expectation that We the People will make a difference…and a lasting impression. Throughout this year, you our supporters will be hearing lots more from the Richmond Tea Party. Obviously, during the next 60 days, we will inform you about the latest on events at the General Assembly and ask you to engage your legislators. During that time, you will hear about the effort to collect thousands of signatures to put our very own Jamie Radtke’s name on the ballot for the Republican primary in June. You will hear about our effort to turn out the vote for Jamie on June 12. In the middle of that, we will let you know about the annual Tax Day Rally, but at a new location and with a fresh day of events. And throughout the year, we will inform you about what you can do to elect a candidate to the US presidency that will truly represent Tea Party principles. So, stay tuned and get involved. To help us through all this and to make the Richmond Tea Party a much nimbler organization, one more responsive to its supporters, we have taken the bold step of appointing a new executive director, Phil Rapp. A retiree from the international corporate world, he brings time, steadfastness, and organization skills necessary to guide us along this path, ensuring that our day-to-day operations flow more smoothly and efficiently and that we meet the short- and long-term goals we set. We have also appointed three additional people to round out the cadre of corporate officers: Andreanna Anastasiou as assistant executive director; Julie Serfass as secretary, and Mike Muldowney as treasurer. The Board from 2011 will return and be joined by real estate developer, Phil Scott. In addition, government affairs consultant Joe Guarino will be serving as the new chairman. Turning to elections, last November, we joined other Tea Partiers across Virginia in electing several new Tea Party-minded legislators to come to Richmond to reduce the size of government, cut spending, and push the feds back to their constitutional boundaries. Today marks the beginning of the General Assembly’s 60-day session. Instead of wiping our hands and leaving the legislators to themselves, we will be holding them accountable and following through on the fruits of our labor during the 2011 election cycle. We will be watching and talking closely with the numerous delegates and senators who agree with the Tea Party and who will not engage in politics as usual. This year will prove to be a pivotal watershed on many fronts. America is being presented with a clear choice: will we continue in the direction of expanding government influence in and control over every aspect of our lives, or will we finally turn around and go in the opposite direction of less government influence and control, freeing the American people to innovate and provide for themselves and each other? Richmond Tea Party has chosen the latter. Until three years ago, many of you had never engaged in the political process but decided to get involved and support our efforts by attending or writing checks. That’s good and a step in the right direction. We hope that you will take the next step and get active, helping us free our nation and protect our children’s future from an intrusive government that wants to control everything. Stay tuned for opportunities to get engaged and make 2012 the year America turns back to freedom. The Board of the Richmond Tea Party

RTP Organizational Changes

EricM — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:13:59 +0000

RTP Organizational Changes

Fellow supporters and volunteers: As we turn the page on 2011 and enter into a new year, RTP is excited to announce some structural changes within the organization that we believe will bring fresh new ideas and a streamlined operational model for the group going forward. In 2012, we are reclassifying the President and Vice-President roles to Executive Director and Assistant Executive Director, respectively. A Chairman of the Board (of Directors) has been appointed, who will work closely with the executive director on RTP initiatives and to coordinate day-to-day operations. I’d like to introduce your RTP management team:

Board of Directors	Officers
Joe Guarino (& Chairman of the Board) Susan Lascolette Corky Mann Eric McGrane Phil Scott Jon Wakefield Gilbert Wilkerson	Phil Rapp – Executive Director Andreanna Anastasiou – Assistant Executive Director Julie Serfass – Secretary

In addition to the volunteers above, RTP will continue to have a mix of targeted committees/working teams to execute our plans/goals for the year, and we will share the committee structure as we finalize our plans for 2012. I would also like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to our current committee chairman and members…it is only through your energy and initiative that RTP is successful. It has been a pleasure serving you this past year as RTP president, observing as the organization matured and refined its mission. Passion for tea party principles across the commonwealth (and country) continues to grow, and I am excited as I look forward to the various opportunities that 2012 will present. As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any suggestions/concerns you may have. May 2012 bring us victories in the battleground of ideas as we work to further those tea party principles, Eric McGrane

TAX DAY 2012: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!

Aha — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:58:31 +0000

Update: City of Richmond Audit of RTP

Aha — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:54:48 +0000

Want an update on the RTP/City of Richmond exchange? Check Richmond Tea Party volunteer Colleen Owens’ guest post at Righsidenews.com Along with background information of the events, you can read the City of Richmond audit notification letter sent to RTP. An excerpt of Ms Owens’ closing remarks is provided:

The Richmond Tea Party stands for constitutional adherence, and clearly this has been unequal treatment under the law. We stand for fiscal restraint, and this is a case where a mayor uses taxpayer money for his personal agenda. We stand for virtue and accountability in government and that is why we have taken a stand. We will be submitting a Virginia Freedom of Information Act request for all city correspondence pertaining to our Tea Party and its decision to audit us. We will not be intimidated and we will not back down. A Richmond attorney and fellow Tea Partier is currently reviewing our situation. Also the ACLU has also contacted us inquiring about this matter.

City of Richmond Responds to Our Refund Request

LibertyJon — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:21:01 +0000

A few weeks ago, I reported on how the Richmond Tea Party invoiced the City of Richmond for a refund of the expenses incurred from our three Tax Day Rallies in Kanawha Plaza, the same place where Occupy Richmond illegally camped for two weeks without paying a single fee to the City. We figured that in spirit of equal application of the law, a refund from Mayor Dwight Jones was in order. Shortly thereafter, we received a brief letter that promised a timely response to our request. We have since received that response. Before I get to that, though, let me bring you up to speed on the full story. Last week, we learned that in addition to the City of Richmond’s open favoring of Occupy Richmond, the City went so far as to even pay some of their bills, including providing toilets and cleanup. (See the invoices here.) The Richmond Tea Party, of course, paid for these same services ourselves during our three events. It should be noted, though, that Occupy Richmond intended to provide for these services as well, but the Mayor went out of his way to pick up the tab at taxpayer expense. As if that weren’t bad enough, when we showed up to plead our case before the Richmond City Council last week, Mayor Jones walked out of his own meeting the moment our first speaker was announced. Too bad he didn’t stick around to hear Councilmen Jewell follow up by saying he agreed with us 100% and that we should be refunded our money. Apparently Mayor Jones was too busy meeting personally with the Occupiers to address their concerns and offering one of them a position on his anti-poverty commission. I don’t suppose I’d be fortunate enough to get my own meeting and the same offer. I have done a lot of anti-poverty work in Richmond myself, and I would love to share my experiences with the commission to help craft a wise policy of approaching a serious problem. But considering the Mayor’s response to our refund request, I call it a safe bet that I will receive no such offer. What was his response, you wonder? A tax audit, of course! Nice, eh? Not to worry, though. We are the Tea Party and, therefore, have followed every applicable tax law to this point, including filing all the proper forms. We will file them again, though, to satisfy the audit requirements. But that won’t be the last the City of Richmond hears from the Richmond Tea Party and the American people. The City is now openly rewarding and financing lawlessness, while punishing and charging the law-abiding. These actions represent the kind of bullying and abuse of power the American people have come to expect from those in office and are now dedicated to stopping. We stand united in holding accountable every last corrupt politician, no matter which office they hold or at which level they serve. More will be coming out about this story in the coming days and weeks, but for now, I wanted to give you the quick update and let you know that we, like you, are done taking it from arrogant politicians. The City of Richmond gave us their response—now we have one for them. Stay tuned. Cross-posted at redstatevirginia.com

Time for All Tea Parties to Force Equality Under the Law

LibertyJon — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:53:55 +0000

For two weeks, the Occupy Richmond group camped out in Kanawha Plaza in downtown Richmond. They acquired no permits, followed no regulations, paid no fees, and broke the law for their continued presence. In contrast, the Richmond Tea Party held three separate Tax Day Rallies in the same location, for which we acquired every permit, followed every regulation, paid every fee, and adhered to every law for the few hours we remained. We did everything the City of Richmond asked of us; the same city, though, asked nothing of Occupy Richmond. On October 26^th, the Richmond Tea Party decided we had had enough. From our press release that day: “In keeping with the principles of our founders the Richmond Tea party has decided to rectify this blatantly unequal application of the laws—including punishing us for being law-abiding citizens and rewarding the Occupiers for ignoring the law—by sending an invoice to the Mayor’s office of the City of Richmond for a full refund of all charges we paid for our three previous rallies. We hope the city will honor the trust people have empowered them with and faithfully adhere to the principle of equal application of the law by refunding our money for the use of Kanawha Plaza in the past.” On October 28^th, we hand-delivered an invoice for approximately $8,500 to Mayor Jones’s office, along with a form for him to complete by listing all City of Richmond laws that are optional so we can have it for future reference. At least two Richmond City Council members already stated that we are owed a refund. We are told we will receive a prompt response to our letter, but if it doesn’t adequately address our concerns, we will continue to pressure the Mayor’s office. This issue of unequal application of the law is not unique to Richmond: it’s happening all across the nation. But what the Richmond Tea Party is doing to combat it should be replicated wherever a Tea Party paid a fee for demonstrating while an Occupy group has not had to pay for the same space. This is not an attack on the Occupy groups, but on the governments who are selecting winners and losers based on political preferences, punishing the Tea Party for observing the law and rewarding the Occupiers for ignoring it. This type of injustice cannot go unchallenged; Tea Parties should call it out wherever and whenever they encounter it. To this point, the peaceful, law-abiding Tea Parties (still no arrests after two and a half years of enormous protests and rallies) have been maligned by the media and career politicians—the same people now favoring the Occupy movement that has openly called for violence and produced thousands of arrests (so far) and even some rapists. We have a chance to reverse the narrative now, though, as RTP’s call to be refunded blew up into national news within a day (see here, here, and here for starters, and here for our own Colleen Owens on Fox News Business discussing it) and ignited a bonfire of support for our cause hotter than I’ve seen in a long time, including personal offers to help both financially and legally in our battle for equality under the law. Our little press release has served to highlight the clear differences between the approaches of the Tea Party and the Occupiers and the double standard in dealing with the two groups by those in authority. And the public is seeing it clearly. Polls are now turning sharply against the Occupy groups. If the rest of the Tea Party movement replicates our approach and forces the issue of equal application of the law wherever possible, we will win this argument handily and take another step closer to restoring our nation to its founding principles. Cross-posted at redstatevirginia.com

What is the Cost of Free Speech?

LibertyJon — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:41:59 +0000

The following post was submitted by Richmond Tea Party board member Corky Mann. —- Let me start with a little about where Tea Parties in general, and Richmond Tea Party specifically, stand in regard to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. For starters, EVERYONE is entitled to free speech. EVERYONE is entitled to peacefully assemble. It’s a no-brainer: we stand for individual liberty. Next, we realize that, sometimes, strings are attached. If you happen to need a license or permit to stand in a particular place to have your say, then get the license or permit. It may not seem right, but if it is the rule, put on your big boy or girl pants and get it done. Tea Parties are “Rule of Law” organizations, correct? Now back to the original question: What is the cost of Free Speech? This week we learned the City of Richmond—or at least Mayor Dwight C. Jones—answers that question differently for different groups. In this case I’m referring to the city’s not requiring the people “Occupying Richmond” to obtain licenses, permits, off-duty police security, chemical toilets, or a standby medical team. We also learned that to obtain those items—required of the Richmond Tea Party by the City of Richmond—cost over $8,500 for three separate one-day events. Do you think that sounds like fair and/or equal treatment under the Law? Neither do I. You may be asking, “Where are you going with this”? Simple: ELECTIONS! This Richmond City saga illustrates how your elected officials can play favoritism while serving as your representatives (supposedly) and spending your tax dollars. While I don’t know who is on the ballot in Richmond City—it’s not my district—I will assume some of the folks there were elected in off-year elections. It has been personally frustrating to see the general public’s apathy and in some instances YOUR own apathy toward the importance of local elections, especially during boring off years. This is not an endorsement or condemnation of any candidate or currently elected official; it is a reminder to you, to learn who is on your ballot, and get out and vote for the person you expect will represent you the best. During these off-year elections, YOUR voice makes more of a difference than ever. With low voter turnout, elections are often decided by hundreds (or fewer), not thousands, of votes. Please learn about your candidates. Please vote. Please vote for a conservative.

Press Release (10/26/2011): Refund for Tax Day Rallies

LibertyJon — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:40:55 +0000

On Wednesday, 10/26/2011, Richmond Tea Party issued the following press release. It quickly became a national (story. See here, here, and here for starters.) —- The Richmond Tea Party along with the rest of the tea party movement is very much about getting back to the basics of our founding documents, particularly the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Because of our commitment to constitutional adherence we obviously respect the First Amendment rights of the Occupy Richmond group and any other citizen or organization. The Richmond Tea Party does, however, object to the obvious bias by the City of Richmond’s favoring one group’s First Amendment rights over another’s. The City of Richmond is allowing Occupy Richmond to blatantly break the law day after day while forcing our group to strictly comply. One of the basic principles of our country is that laws should be applied equally. It seems that our city officials have decided that this principle doesn’t apply to the Occupiers. The Richmond Tea Party has held its Tax Day Rallies for the past three years at Kanawha Plaza. We had to start the process weeks in advance in order to obtain the numerous permits required. The city dictated how many police officers had to be present whose salaries we had to pay (even though we had our own volunteer security). The city also dictated the number of portable toilets that we had to rent, even the number that had to be handicap accessible. We had to have emergency personnel and a defibrillator on site. If any food was sold, we needed a permit from the Health Department. We were also required to purchase a one million dollar liability insurance policy to protect the city from any bodily injuries or property damage. Finally, we had to pay for the use of the park for one day. Occupy Richmond has had to do none of this. In keeping with the principles of our founders the Richmond Tea party has decided to rectify this blatantly unequal application of the laws—including punishing us for being law-abiding citizens and rewarding the Occupiers for ignoring the law—by sending an invoice to the Mayor’s office of the City of Richmond for a full refund of all charges we paid for our three previous rallies. We hope the city will honor the trust people have empowered them with and faithfully adhere to the principle of equal application of the law by refunding our money for the use of Kanawha Plaza in the past. Richmond Tea Party will also be discussing this issue with an attorney.

Interview with RTP President

LibertyJon — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:46:48 +0000

To give you an idea of what Richmond Tea Party is working on now and for the future, I interviewed President Eric McGrane. My questions and his responses are below. —- What major initiatives are on tap for Richmond Tea Party this year? The primary focus for the rest of the year will be activities around the VA state elections. RTP is hard at work in the background, carefully evaluating the voting records of current legislators and scoring their performance on issues important to tea party supporters. We are also involved with examining/vetting new candidates that are not incumbents, who may not have a record or history for review. We are also working to organize tea party supporters to mobilize for the campaigns they choose to support. How can others get involved in these initiatives? The best way to reach RTP to get involved is through the online volunteer sign-up form, located at http://www.richmondteaparty.com/volunteer. Alternately, interested parties can call our voicemail line at (800) 394-5885. We are also conducting a volunteer fair this weekend (Saturday, June 18^th) from 10:00AM to 2:00PM at the RTP office, where RTP coordinators will be available to answer questions directly. More information is available on the website at http://www.richmondteaparty.com/2011/06/reminder-volunteer-fair-saturday-june-18th/, or call the number above. Finally, supporters can reach us at our monthly meetings, where frequently the RTP committee chairmen are available to answer questions. What are your biggest needs? We need more dedicated volunteers that are willing to sacrifice a few hours a week for our very good cause! We have specific needs in various committee initiatives, including media/marketing, fundraising, research, and elections, as a start. Additionally, we need donations to be able to expand our opportunities to spread our message, such as buying advertising and ordering printed material to distribute. How do you awaken people to the reality of the over-reaching government in Washington (and Virginia)? This is a common problem for any organization working to get its word out to the public. We will continue to share information through our newsletters, website, Facebook, Twitter, and other electronic methods. We even have a mobile app for iPhone and Android users! We have public meetings monthly (or thereabouts), and you may see us around the area waving signs and focusing on areas of high population density. We also would love to do more billboard advertising and direct mailings when appropriate, but all of that requires funding. What can average citizens do in their own neighborhoods and communities to help advance the principles of liberty? Talk to your neighbors … spread through word of mouth. Host a mini-tea party gathering at your house or subdivision clubhouse. Attend the tea party meeting of your local group. There are actually several smaller local tea party groups throughout the Richmond area that would love additional support. Contact your state and federal reps. Continually. Ceaselessly. Most importantly, get involved in your local government. Go to your county board of supervisors meetings, your school board meetings, etc. And be sure to speak up and be counted! How would you score the new Congress’s job performance so far? The new Congress in aggregate has been very lackluster. With sparse exceptions, we’ve seen few bold new ideas to confront the very serious challenges facing the county. While we certainly understand that securing votes in the Senate on issues that are important to tea party supporters is problematic, we expect at least the House to erect strong firewalls against further encroachment on our rights and the erosion of our freedoms. What about Majority Leader Cantor’s performance? We were expecting House leadership to come out “with all guns blazing” after the election, given the monumentally historic vote results across the country, especially at the state level. However, what we received was more timidity. I’m not sure how we could’ve sent a stronger message of “we’ve got your back” than we did in the election numbers, and I’m concerned that the message was still not received. Watching the House fold on the continuing funding resolution was demoralizing and disappointing as we learned that the “concessions” (cuts) allegedly gained were meaningless. We expected more from Leader Cantor and Speaker Boehner on this issue, and they let us down. I’m afraid now that the House leadership is also about to cave on the debt ceiling, with rumors swirling that any spending “cuts” meant to offset the raising of the ceiling will be spread across many years, instead of taking effect immediately within the same budget year. The best I’m hearing out of Leader Cantor’s office right now is corresponding cuts to spending would equal the raise in the debt ceiling, which obviously does nothing to reduce the already unmanageable current levels of debt. I want Leader Cantor to be outspoken on the issues, publically and continually, educating the public on why conservative solutions to address the economy make sense and are the best option moving forward. Instead we seem to be getting background management of capitulation, quietly guiding us deeper into the fiscal abyss. How House leadership manages the debt ceiling issue will clearly indicate to everyone how serious they really are. We will be watching. What are your thoughts on the results of VA’s General Assembly session this year? It was very disappointing. The Senate subcommittees were on a mission to kill bills that tea party supporters favored before they reached the floor for a vote, even violating long-standing rules of the Senate in the process. If you’d like to get your blood boiling, check out the RTP coverage of what happened this year. It was shameful. (http://www.richmondteaparty.com/2011/02/senate-chairmen-breaking-their-own-rules/) Watching the Senate’s performance, it’s very clear that we need new Senate representation next year. How will RTP be involved in the VA elections this year? We want to educate voters on the issues, and how current legislators have voted on those issues that are important to RTP’s core values. We plan to offer information on any non-incumbent candidates in the area, so that voters will be more informed about the candidates’ positions. Additionally, if you are a legislator that has been behaving badly, prepare to have your record highlighted for all to see. And once we have determined which candidates are aligned with RTPs core values, we plan to assist tea party supporters with contacting and supporting those candidates’ campaigns. At this time however, we don’t plan to endorse candidates officially, but that is a possibility that we will evaluate as needs and opportunities arise. We encourage all tea party supporters who want to jump in now to make a difference in the election to contact the Virginia Tea Party Alliance PAC: http://vateapartyalliance.org/ What do you see for the future of RTP and the Tea Party movement in general? Education, organization, and activation. It all comes down to those three main initiatives. Anything else? I would like to thank all of the RTP volunteers for their continued sacrifice, which is considerable. I would also like to thank all of the RTP supporters who we have been standing beside for more than two years! We’ve come a long way towards restoring some sanity to government, but we still have a great distance to go. —- Cross-posted at redstatevirginia.com