As a proud member of the Whidbey Island Tea Party patriots, I find it necessary to comment on the letter by K. T. Howard of Freeland in your May 19 issue. However, I want to make it clear that I don’t speak for the Tea Party and that my comments and opinions are entirely my own.

First off, I should like to say that Howard’s theory of government is at odds with those of our nation’s founders as stated in the Declaration of Independence. According to them, the role of government is to secure the unalienable rights that the Creator endowed us with but Howard disagrees. He mentions the Koch brothers who, if they are billionaires, got that way by earning their wealth in the marketplace by giving valuable service and taking good care of their customers; and isn’t it great that we taxpayers aren’t required to bail them out?

Keep in mind that the Tea Party movement was begun under then President George (the compassionate conservative) Bush and that we oppose the policies of both political parties that tax, borrow and spend in order to benefit special interests.

Additionally, we don’t think that having more than a $14 trillion national debt is a terrific idea and we don’t believe that stealing from our grandkids is morally justifiable.

Howard mentions that the real impetus behind Jeff Lauderdale’s campaign is his wife Julie and that she was responsible for his rise from seaman to submarine commander. If true, what’s wrong with that? If he has a loving and supportive wife, I rejoice in his good fortune. Never once does Howard state that Jeff Lauderdale doesn’t have the qualifications to be on the board of county commissioners.

I want a commissioner that will spend our tax dollars wisely and one who is dedicated to the preservation of our property rights because without property rights, no other rights are possible. Finally, his sarcastic comment associated with the women presently on the board was uncalled for to say the least.

Joseph Kleinman
Langley