Americans all across the nation exercised their right to vote Tuesday and sent a clear message to Washington: “We’re sick of you ignoring us! It’s now time to listen to We The People!” And oh boy! Did we send that message!

     Americans showed the big-government progressives that big government isn’t working. Republicans took back the House of Representatives in a land slide - something that seemed impossible only two years ago.

     So how did this happen? How could a Democratic party with enormous popularity in 2008 lose the House in such a tidal wave? This election has shown us all something. A lot can change in two years, and there’s no doubt that change was brought about by the Tea Party and those who gave it a chance and listened to what it was all about - smaller government and personal responsibility.

     Those on the left are scratching their heads and making excuses left and right asking, “How could this happen?”

     My personal favorite excuse from the left is that Americans were just too stupid and blind to see their brilliance. We were too dumb to see that their big government takeover was working. Umm, yeah…I don’t think the intelligence of the American people is too big of an issue. We’re smarter than Progressives think.

     The Democrats lost the House because America is awake. Thanks to people like Glenn Beck who love their country and would do anything to save her, we now know what Progressives are all about. They think the Constitution is out-dated, that it needs a little tweeking. Well, the silent majority is silent no more. We’re awake, and we won’t turn our back ever again.

     We prevailed because we didn’t give up. When the media called us everything from racist to violent to sexually offensive terms like “teabaggers,” we didn’t stop. They did everything they possibly could to stop us, but we kept our faith in God and continued to learn the truth about America and her amazing history. We want to restore America to the way the founders envisioned it! Back when the Health Care Law was passed Glenn told us “We may have lost the battle, but we have not lost the war.”

     The fight is far from over. 2010 was just the start. It is our first won battle with many more to come. 2012 is just around the corner, and you can bet the Tea Party will be there to hold our newly elected officials accountable and demand the government listen to us. Remember, Not racist, not violent, just no longer silent.

~Taylor~

With just one day to go, the nation is gearing up for a hopeful Congressional transformation! I personally have been extremely busy these past few weeks (seeing that we have two full weeks of early voting in TX) trying to get the word out about our local Conservative candidates, but in the mist of all that God has shown me something special.

  Last Sunday I had the wonderful privilege of going to hear  Dr. Peter Lillback (author of George Washington's Sacred Fire) preach at a local church. If you are wondering, yes, I did interview him; however, as I was plugging my camera into my lap-top I accidently deleted the interview. Well, that was disappointing, but the main point of Dr. Lillback's message was safely preserved in my notes! His focus was that though the elections are coming up would have an affect on this nation, the greater affect would be if the Christians in this county would focus on; only Scripture, only Faith, only Grace, only Christ, and Glorifying God only. Dr. Lillback showed how if we focus and act on each of these, there would be a "Reformation" in the hearts and minds of people. That Reformation then would spill over to affect the country.

  When I was interviewing Dr. Lillback, I asked him why he thought it was important to write such a massive book on George Washington's faith! His answer was very simple. He stated that if we see how much of an impact faith had on our great president, it will show us what that kind of faith can do for us!

  So, why am I talking so much about God and faith when I started off by talking about Election Day? I received an email from a good friend of mine the other day. He attached to it an email he had received from his 9.12 leader, and this was the sections that caught my attention.

"We have been focusing primarily on the physical side of the conflict – which is very good and much needed, but there is the spiritual side of things to consider as well. With this critical election coming up, I propose we do what generations of men and women have done before us when faced with critical times: we ask God for his intervention through prayer and fasting."

  Prayer, faith, and fasting if able; these are all things that our founders did in times when they were in need. When debating at the Constitutional Convention, Ben Franklin suggested that the group have prayer before each meeting. The men took a day off, went to church, and then began praying; that's when the Constitution started to take shape.

  While voting is important, for those of us that can't vote yet the most important thing we can do is to pray and fast (if able). I know that not everyone is Christian, but our founders were and God did come to their aid. So, in the last few hours take the time to focus on what is truely important in restoring this nation; Scripture, faith, grace, Christ, and glorifying God.

~Karen

Last week I got the amazing opportunity to interview West Virginia US senate candidate John Raese! As the upcoming historical election is only THREE DAYS AWAY, (Can you believe it?) it is more important than ever for people to research their candidates and find one that matches their personal system of values and beliefs. Mr. Raese was kind enough to take a break from the campaign trail to talk about some of the biggest problems facing America today. Hope you enjoy! 

  These may seem as if they are words from a child, however, they are being spoken in the very hearts of "grown - up" individuals today. The attitude of "I want it, and I'm going to get it" comes across in the actions of many in the political spectrum as they seek to win their election. An observant viewer sees that in many of the races underway there have been ads or other sources of media that have sought to tear apart certain candidates.  I'm not speaking merely of ads that state "I'm better then that guy, vote for me and I'll do such and such", but vicious attacks on character that are not accurate.

  Take this for example:

This Daniel Webster sounds like a terrible human being!! Is he really?

  This is a more modern example of a canidate blatantly lying about his opponent in order to sway voters, but this has also happened in history. Who did it happen to? My hero, Grover Cleveland.

  During th 1884 election, Cleveland ran against Republican James G. Blaine, and Blaine sought to discredit Cleveland with an account that Cleveland had fathered an illegitimate child. Though it was never proven that he was the father (because of the mothers promiscuity), Cleveland did take care of the boy financially. But while his opponent sought to throw unproven "dirt" on Cleveland, there was a chance for Cleveland to do the same.

  President Cleveland was approached by a man who had documents proving Blaine had an affair. Cleveland had a huge opportunity to discredit his opponent, and he bought the documents. 

  Often times we want something so bad that we will do "anything" for it. But should we lie or tell half truths to get what we want? No, true character is shown by how we gain what we want. Do we work honestly for it and refuse to cheat our way to it, or do we hold a stance of honor and say, "I want this, but it's not so important that I will cheat for it."

  I didn't tell you the rest of the story of President Cleveland. Immediately after he bought the documents he burned them in front of the man that brought them to him! Cleveland knew that even though he wanted the presidency, it was not worth the loss of his integrity!

  As we grow older and hit our upper high-school years, and then college there will be opportunities to do/win things. But what will be our attitude? Will we say, "I'm going to get that no matter what," or, "I will work my hardest, but not compromise my integrity nor my honor." President Cleveland made that choice, and the great fruits of his presidency were his reward.

~Karen

  Now that the house  is out and home, it's off to the campaign trail! High hopes for re-election hover in the minds of most of these men and women. Some will face a happy home with constituents ready to send them back to keep on working, however, for most the welcome home will be less than "happy".

  Congress is leaving behind a pile of bills, including extending the Bush Tax Cuts, plus the last two years haven't been the nicest for Congress. They've passed a health care bill - that the majority of Americans didn't want - and they have passed multiple spending bills which have driven the nation into more debt and unemployment.

  The Daily Caller reports that, "An Associated Press-GfK Poll this month showed that the public is fed up with both parties. Only 38 percent approve of how congressional Democrats are handling their jobs, and just 31 percent like the way Republicans are doing theirs." While we may be thinking that most of the problems rest on the Democrats' shoulders, the Republicans aren't off the hook yet! Both parties have not stuck completely with all their promises, and now Americans get to practice one of their greatest freedom!

  Enjoy this time when our representatives are in "campaign mode" because they know that these next few weeks are life and death for their careers. Hold them accountable to their word and promises these next few weeks, but most of all pray God's will on the polls the next few weeks.

~Karen 

  We are now 40 days away from the November election, and a major factor rests on the voter turn out! If history repeats itself, however, will we really be able to make a difference? Take a look at these percentages that show the overall voter turn out the past few election years 

Year           Percentage of turnout:                                     

2008                         56.8%                      

2006                         37.1%                        

2004                         55.3%                        

2002                         37.0%                     

2000                         51.3%                          

  In the last general election (2006) only 37.1% of the voting population came out to vote! Granted we may have a bigger turn out this year due to the efforts of the tea party, but honestly those numbers are inexcusable.

  To put it in perspective, let's look at another country's turn out. In the 2009 election in Iran, their voter turnout was 85%! Eighty-Seven Percent, and many of the voters were threatened with their lives if they dare came out to vote!

  Since our founding we, as Americans, have always had the freedom to vote (not everyone at the beginning). However,  it feels as if  we have forgotten our privilege. For the Iranian people, this is a new taste of freedom that they have wanted for a long time! Granted their election was full  of fraud, but the people came out in droves to vote!

  Many of us teens can't vote yet. So we may look at these percentages and say, "I want to vote and have my voice heard, but I can't do it yet!"  Some things we can do are making political phone calls for candidates, working at the polls, but most importantly pray! While we cannot make our voice heard by voting, God always hears our voices and can do mighty works!

  Now, what about those who can vote? It is their DUTY to do so, and to encourage others to do so. If those in the tea party movement or moveon.org just spoke and had their rallies, but none of them went to vote would they accomplish much? No! Half of the battle, when you are trying to change something in government, is voting. Speaking out is great, but voting is putting your words to actions.

  These percentage numbers are disappointing, but can we change it this year? Well, that's the voters job isn't it?

~Karen

Cross-post from Tea Party Youth TX

From (shockingly) the very liberal site The Huffington Post,

Young Republicans are more energized about upcoming elections and more likely to show up on Election Day than their Democratic counterparts, according to a Rock the Vote poll released Wednesday afternoon.

The GOP enjoys a nine-point enthusiasm advantage over Democrats: 60 percent of young Republicans indicated they are very likely to vote, as compared to 51 percent of young Democrats. They also have a five-point interest advantage -- 20 percent to 15 percent -- among young voters who say they are paying a lot of attention to the election.

This is a great encouragement, considering that during the 2008 election the left had a firm hold on young voters! Keep it up young voters, and vote on your principles not your party.

~Karen

  During the Constitutional Convention the elderly Ben Franklin perceived a problem that could happen in a future America. When He traveled throughout Europe, he saw how highly paid politicians were, and he saw that because of the high pay many people wanted political jobs. Franklin made this observation, "there are two passions which have a powerful influence in the affairs of men. These are ambition and avarice; the love of power and the love of money. Separately, each of these has great force in prompting men to action; but when united in view of the same object, they have in many minds the most violent effects."  

  Franklin believed that the more money paid to government officials, the less honorable they would be. He reasoned that if payment was low, only those who loved the nation and only wanted the best for her would run for office, but he thought the love of money would bring evil men with no character into the political arena.

  Was Benjamin Franklin right? Well, let's look at the current salaries of our national politicians.

 The current salary (2010) for members of the House and Senate is $174,000 per year.

Senate Leadership

Majority Party Leader - $193,400

Minority Party Leader - $193,400

House Leadership

Speaker of the House - $223,500

Majority Leader - $193,400

Minority Leader - $193,400

 And the annual salary of the president of the United States is $400,000 per year, including a $50,000 expense allowance.

 Now, what is the average household income in the US? $46,326. (Let me just say that, that is a very high average!)

  So there is an obvious salary discrepancy between a normal household salary and that of a political leader. However, are our leaders -- at least the majority of them -- honorable? Can you trust their word, and do they have character? With all the scandals, abuses of money, and lies that are told from both parties, I would have to say no. That leads us to the next question. If our leaders didn't make very much, would they still want to be in office? I do not believe so.

  This is an election year. A year to change out some of our leaders for new ones. One question I think that would be a great one to ask is, "If the person I'm voting for did not get paid very much, would they still be willing to run?" Answer that question yourself, but it is something to think about when choosing who you want to be your leader.

  If we did follow Benjamin Franklin's advice and the leader's pay was lowered immensely, would that clean out some of the corruption in our government? Not totally, but I do believe it would allow good, American loving, people to get into office, and take a motivation away from those who want to destroy America.

~Karen

~Karen

I know that a lot of us can't vote yet, but I think that it is good for us to learn about candidates and "choose" who we would go for and why. I would like to list some ways how we can choose who we agree with the most.

First, read your voters guide! What I did when I got mine, is I covered up the name of each candidate so that I couldn't see who they were and what party they were from. At the top of the guide there is a list of questions that are asked of the candidates. I answered each of them the way I believed. Then (with the names still covered) I starred the places where I agreed with each candidate.

After I did that, I counted the stars, and highlighted the one that had the most. Doing that should give you a good idea of the candidate to vote for. Also, this way you are voting on your principles, and not your party.

Second, if you get a tela-conference call, ask you parents and if they say yes, participate in it. Listen to how the candidate answers the questions. Are they uneasy with some questions, and do they not really answer some of them? If you have a question ASK IT!

Third, if you get a campaign call/e-mail/letter from a candidate read it or listen to it. If it is a call and you can speak to someone, ask them questions about the candidate's ideas and beliefs.

Last of all, pray on it! I know that not all of you are Christians, but trust me, God is involved in government, and He knows who should be in office.

With this advice you can learn how to ask questions, and what questions to ask. Don't be scared to ask questions, because you won't learn the facts if you don't ask them.