Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories. Thomas Jefferson

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. Thomas Jefferson

The East Orange Tea Party
Mission Statement

The East Orange NJ Tea Party, as founded in 2009 by Jim Gerrish, is NOT a political party but an organization which borrows its name from the original “Boston Tea Party,” a collection of patriots who chose to rebel against an unjust British tax on tea and took concrete action when their written and verbal protests were ignored.

The East Orange NJ Tea Party exists to protect our liberties by restoring and defending the principles within our nation’s foundational documents, and by promoting unity with other Patriots throughout East Orange, New Jersey and the United States of America. Like our forebears, we intend to protest unjust tax (and other) laws, as well as laws which promote and condone waste and fraud in government by writing and speaking out against them, only taking concrete action if our protests are ignored.

Core Principles:

We the East Orange NJ Tea Party, an organization of public citizens from East Orange, NJ, are dedicated to supporting the principles within our Nation’s foundational documents and public policy that adheres to those principles, including but not limited to the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that are expressed in the forms of personal responsibility, individual liberty, limited government and free markets.

Our goal is to preserve and restore our constitutional government which was designed of and for the people of the United States of America which includes the people of the state of New Jersey and of the City of East Orange.

Through these foundational documents, we were promised real, honest and ethical governments in order to protect and preserve the liberties and prosperity of our children, our families, our community and our country.

1. We reaffirm the principles within our nation’s foundational documents that are self-evident and state that all people are born equal, that they are deserving of certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

— That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among the people, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

— That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the responsibility of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

2. We support the New Jersey State Constitution of 1947, the Constitution of the United States of America, and The Declaration of Independence as written.

3. We support the sovereignty of the State of New Jersey and support a limited Federal government, as set forth in the tenth Amendment, which states, “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

4. We reaffirm the sovereignty of the United States, and reject any move toward global governance that surrenders our autonomy to powers outside of these United and Sovereign States. Furthermore, we condemn any and all acts by elected officials that abrogate their oaths to protect and preserve our Constitution as written and believe such acts to be treasonous assaults against the very government they have sworn to uphold. We further believe that such crimes against the Constitution warrant a review before an ethics committee, which if found guilty of these crimes, can result in possible recall of their office and/or criminal charges. We support the addition of a perjury clause in every oath of elective office in the nation and in the state.

5. We hold that the writings of the founding fathers and the sources referenced by them are the only true foundational basis for the interpretation of the Constitution of the United States of America, and furthermore, that these writings are the only precedents that should be considered in judicial matters regarding “constitutionality.”

6. We hold that excessive taxation by government is a violation of our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We further hold that our current tax system is unconstitutional and should be repealed, and we vehemently object to our tax dollars being spent on items other than what is enumerated within our Constitution or wasted on personal schemes of those elected as representatives of all of us. All government should operate on a balanced budget and return all surplus money back to the taxpayers at the end of each fiscal year.

7. We reject all forms of Marxism, Fascism, and Socialism. We support Capitalism and its free market as being the only financial system viable under our Constitution.

8. We reject all forms of tyranny by those who were empowered by the people to serve the people. We approve of term limits not to exceed eight years in the same elected office. Holding political office should be seen as a job, not as a career. Once the job is done, the job holder should move on to other pursuits. If the job is not done satisfactorally within the term limit, the job holder should step down and let someone else work at it. If the job holder proves to be incompetent or criminally negligent or commits an actual crime while in office, the job holder should be fired (impeached).

9. We reject the violation of the separation of powers set forth in the Constitution of the United States of America where the judicial branch acts in a manner designated to the legislative branch.

10. We hold that those who are elected to any position of government or who are employed by the government are servants of the people rather than the people being servants of those in positions of power.

11. We hold that it is our legal right and duty as citizens of the State of New Jersey and the United States of America to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

12. We claim the legal right to remove our consent to be governed by any individuals who violate the principles set forth in the New Jersey State Constitution or the Constitution of the United States of America, and that those who violate any of those principles are to be removed from their position by whatever legal means available.

13. We do not endorse any specific political party or candidates nor do we hold to any specific religious creed. We reject racism and sexism in any form. We accept all those of like mind and we expect each individual to be an informed citizen and to act upon his or her convictions guided by a sense of personal responsibility for their environment and their governments.

14. We do not collect money or ask for donations for ourselves or others. Each member of the East Orange NJ Tea Party pays his or her own way. Each member of our group is asked to donate some personal time each week to a civic project of his or her own choosing, something which makes our city a better place in which to reside.

1. Take Back our Government. Vote Out ALL Incumbents.

This is a necessary first step. We, the People of the United States, have allowed politicians to do our thinking and our jobs for so long that they have begun to believe they are in charge, and not us. This will show them who is really in charge and why the Constitution of the United States begins with the words: "We the People of the United States." Vote for someone who has not yet become corrupted by public office perks, a cushy public salary, and access to our tax money. Don't think you can let someone else have a free ride by not voting. Your job is to VOTE, not to avoid personal responsibility. Find the most sincere, honest candidate of any party and vote for the person, not the party.

Join a political party; do not register as an "independent" or some third party. Become a Democrat or a Republican. Choose the party that needs the most reform so you can vote in that party's Primary Election. In East Orange, you should become a Democrat because the Republican Party has no real presence here and you can only make your vote count in the Primary Elections by being a registered Democrat. In the final elections, you can vote your conscience without regard for any political party.

See how this could have worked at the local level using the Orange Municipal Elections on May 11, 2010

2. No Taxation Without TRUE Representation. Vote for Tax REFORM.

Vote for Tax REFORM on all levels, local, state and federal. Vote NO to ALL bond requests, even if they make you feel good. Vote down ANY and ALL tax increases. Make them use the tax money they already have and are wasting. Don't give them any new money to play with until they get control of government spending, fraud and waste.

Begin this year on your Tax Return by letting them know what is coming and check "NO" (or leave unchecked) the box for Contributing money to the Presidential Election Campaign (Federal) AND Gubernatorial Elections Fund (State). If this makes you feel guilty, contribute that money directly to the candidate of your choice, or to your favorite charity. Tax Reform BEGINS with Fiscal Responsibility. Don't expect your governments to give you a free ride at someone else's expense. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Politicians don't yet know that. Teach them.

3. Demand Truth in Advertising. Revise the Oaths of Office to include a Perjury Clause.

This is a long term goal; one that will take time to get fixed. The IRS makes you sign your tax return "under penalties of perjury." Make politicians take an oath of office with the same wording at the end: "Under penalties of perjury, I do so swear."

For now: demand that politicians running for public office at ANY level end all of their advertising with the same clause: "I swear under penalties of perjury that everything in this political advertisement is the truth." Make them state this publicly at any and all public meetings, especially those which are recorded or televised.

4. Demand Term Limits. Two Terms (Eight Years) is enough.

This is also a long term goal and will take time to get the laws changed and the Constitution amended. If the Office of the President of the United States is LIMITED to two ALTERNATING TERMS of four years each, so should every elective public office be similarly limited. If a person can't carry out every one of his or her campaign promises within that time, they were not competent to do so from the beginning. Eight years is enough. Let someone else have a turn. If they were good at their jobs and carried out all their promises, they can always run for some other office, or go home and tend the garden.

For now: Vote ALL incumbents out of office. For the near future, use your vote to limit terms of ALL public offices.

5. Alternating Term Limits.

This election year (2012) pointed out the problems in allowing incumbents in elected offices to run for a second term while in office. I therefore propose that from the office of President of the United States on down, all terms are to be ALTERNATING. The President's term should be 4 years, and the President will NOT be permitted to engage in any political discourse for his or her party while in office. This will help stop the abuses of office and taxpayer money that we have seen this year, in which the incumbent elected official holds down the office and campaigns at public expense and using public time for such campaigning. If neither the President nor Vice President can run for office again until four more years have elapsed, then such abuses can be avoided. The President would then be able to seek a second term after four years have expired and any political campaigns would be held while that person is not holding office, but running again for a second term.

05/10/13 The EO Tea Party Does NOT Accept IRS Apology

Glenn Beck's "Rights and Responsibilities" - revised

The East Orange Tax Day Tea Party of 2011

The East Orange Tax Day Tea Party of 2010

The Gadsden Flag

9/12 The Day After

MORE Interesting Tea Party Links

New Jersey Tea Party Coalition http://www.njteapartycoalition.org/

Mission Statement of above: http://www.njteapartycoalition.org/Documents/NJTPC.pdf

Essex Couty Tea Party Coalition: http://teapartyec.com/

FreedomWorks: http://connect.freedomworks.org/

Americans For Prosperity http://www.americansforprosperity.com/new-jersey

Glenn Beck TV: http://www.video.theblaze.com

Jim Gerrish
[email protected]

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