Tea Party Organizers Hold Town Meeting in Elderton

Approximately 140 people gathered in the Smith Complex near Elderton last night for a town meeting with State Representatives Jeff Pyle and Donna Oberlander.

by David Croyle

State Representatives Jeff Pyle (R-60) and Donna Oberlander (R-63) were on hand with approximately 140 of their constituents at the Smith Complex near Elderton to answer questions from members of the Indiana-Armstrong Patriots political action group.

The group’s mission is to recruit voters, and potential voters, who believe in a smaller government with less regulation and more individual freedom.  They are looking for citizens who believe that the Constitution should be interpreted as it was written.  Their plans are to identify and support politicians who have similar beliefs and make these politicians more accountable to the voters and less accountable to party leaders and lobbyists.

“Many people in this group are here for different reasons,” said Tom Smith, chairman of the group. “The overriding issue is we don’t feel our government is following the constitution. They are walking all over it, our liberties, and freedoms.”

The answers given to questions from Pyle and Oberlander were adjusted for the audience.

Regarding energy, Pyle said he was against the Governor’s push to move from coal to solar power. “It cost a nickel to produce electricity from coal and 43 cents from solar power,” he said.

Oberlander said she was interested in a debate on reducing the size of the legislature. “We are underrepresented in rural PA. If we reduce, we will become part of the larger conglomerate and our voice is not heard at all.”

Pyle agreed. “The court and our constitution is very exact. Everybody gets equal rep.  If we cut to 100, we are outnumbered.”

Oberlander said she could consider supporting some term limits. “The ballot box has been the desired way to control who is in office. We have 94 new legislators – half has turned over in the past year. You as the voters should have the choice whether you want your legislator to continue or not.”

On the subject of gun control, Pyle was aggressive. “You got to be able to stand for something… My God, my children and wife, and my flag.  I really do hunt. There is a bill that mandates a construction inspector can enter your house without a warrant or warning to make sure you have radon detector. I tell you now… two smoking barrels are all that separate me from you from coming into my house without a warrant.”

“We swore to uphold constitution,” Oberlander said. “In terms of the Second Amendment, I have a positive rating as a member of NRA.” 

The audience was made up of local citizens, political candidates including Bill Russell, members of Senator White’s staff, and business persons.

Complex Owner Concerned About the Future

by David Croyle

Tom Smith at his home office discusses his concern over the national debt.

Six years ago, Tom Smith and his wife built a complex that they offers free to the public. Built as a state of the art gymnasium, elementary basketball, birthday parties, and churches use it.

“It is a facility my wife and I built for the community,” Smith said.

There was overflow parking at last night’s town meeting event that Smith helped to coordinate as president of the Indiana-Armstrong Patriots.

“I am involved because I have seven grandchildren with the eighth grandchild on the way. Those kids are going to be in debt for what we wanted. How can I look my grandchildren in the face using the debt clock, with all the things we have committed to do in this country and the deficit…and explain why everyone of those kids are $370,000 dollars in debt already coming into the world,” he said with concern. “Social Security is not fully funded. They spent it. Is Medicare funded? No.  Our debt is $12 trillion. Congress is asking for another $1.9… When you take the whole picture, everything we have given for ourselves now… future generations will pay for it.”

Smith said he was glad Mr. Obama was elected president. “If John McCain would have been elected, we would have been still going down the slippery slope.  It woke us up.”

Smith denied accusations that Tea Party members across the country were trying to organize their own party.

“We are not trying to become the third party,” he said. “We are just concerned Americans. We hope that one of the two major parties come to their senses and move toward us. There are a lot of people that feel something is wrong and it is time to do something about it peacefully.”

Smith said the Indiana-Armstrong Patriots will be sending Dr. Terry Ray from Indiana as a representative to a national convention for the Tea Party.  

“We as a people have been sleeping too long,” he concluded.