Why are tea partiers organizing and protesting all over the country? Because we believe our elected officials are not listening to us. This makes the tea party movement a natural ally with Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment 4. Supporters of Amendment 4, as well as tea partiers, are non-partisan, grassroots folks dedicated to fostering citizen participation in a government that derives its power from the people.
I have spent many years as part of a citizens group working to ensure accountability of local government. Our activities revolve around one common theme--to give citizens more control over the government they must pay for. That is why it was easy for me to become an enthusiastic supporter of the Amendment 4 movement. Amendment 4 seeks to make Florida's land use planning system more accountable by giving citizens veto power over changes to their local comprehensive plans. Why should we leave it to government to decide what is best for our own community? Before we are forced to pay for new development and projects, we deserve a role in the decision-making process.
With Amendment 4, we're simply saying: give us citizens a seat at the table. We're the ones who pay tax dollars to extend the schools, police, fire, water, sewer and roads to all these new developments that politicians keep approving. Even when developments sit empty and the real estate speculators are long gone, we still pay sales and property taxes for the infrastructure.
Is a new development affordable to our community? We should get a vote before we're forced to pay. Big business has raised $6 million so far to try to defeat Amendment 4 and deny us our right to vote. Ask yourself, why are they so scared of common-sense taxpayer oversight?
Amendment 4 will be on the statewide ballot on November 2. The goals of Amendment 4 encourage lower taxes, citizen participation, and better quality of life. This is, after all, what most Americans, including tea partiers, want for themselves and their children.
HERE'S WHAT OTHER TEA PARTY SUPPORTERS OF FLORIDA HOMETOWN DEMOCRACY AMENDMENT 4 SAY:
George: "I am aligned with the tea party because too many elected officials continue to cater to special interests over those of us that end up paying the bill. The average citizen is an afterthought when they should be at the forefront. We have a right to expect that the people we entrust to manage things are putting the taxpayers' interests first, but that's not happening in many aspects of government--growth management, healthcare, education, immigration, tax reform. The tea parties and proponents of Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment 4 should be joined at the hip because, as taxpayers, we are seeking to make government more accountable and responsive to its constituents. As the tea party movement says, it's time to clean house. And part of the needed house-cleaning is giving citizens a vote on the future of their communities."
Linda: "I look at the relationship of these two movements from a different angle. We wouldn't need Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment 4 if politicians were capable of making prudent decisions about development. We wouldn't need the tea parties if politicians had made prudent decisions about other issues. We wouldn't be looking at drawing drinking water from the St. John's River water basin to give to the greater Orlando area if not for overdevelopment. We wouldn't be looking at traffic problems and the drain on our resources. If we could have the confidence we should have in our elected officials, we would not need Amendment 4 or tea parties. The problem is not developers. Our elected officials are the problem. I see overdevelopment not as a developer issue, but a planning issue. Government should be held accountable and that is what tea parties and Amendment 4 are trying to do."
Jane: "Our government is becoming too large, at all levels, and government is the problem at all levels. Both the tea party and Florida hometown Democracy Amendment 4 are attempting to put controls over a rogue system. I understand the old fashioned greed of developers and special interests. What I do not understand is why government continues to ignore the will and the welfare of average citizens. The tea parties and Amendment 4 are not about Republicans or Democrats; they're about bad government. As both a tea partier and Amendment 4 supporter, I can truthfully say I love my state, I love my constitution and its principles, and I love my country. I ask everyone to consider whether they prefer to trust their children's futures to themselves or to politicians."
Junior: "I have always had a good, honest skepticism about elected officials. That is why I support the activities of both the tea parties and Amendment 4. What I do not understand is why some tea party people don't get it in regards to Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment 4. The special interests who have made lots of money off this current system are very critical of Amendment 4, and some tea parties seem to believe them. They just do not understand the strong link between government and people who profit from government."
Tea Parties for Amendment 4
