The notice taken of the TEA Partiers by the press is due primarily to the novelty of the movement; ordinary citizens taking their grievances to elected officials in huge numbers objecting vociferously to the accelerating erosion of our rights and loss of our economic destiny.

Still, the movement struggles with activities beyond the en masse rallies. Sure there are some initiatives to push legislation addressing the health care take over and the rapid response phone calls, emails, and letters to legislators to halt pending legislation but how does the movement sustain itself over the long run? It will take years of constant pressure to effect the changes required to return government to a manageable level. It will take years of organizing and getting involved in, yes, party politics.

The activist, coalition groups organizing today have a common cause: limited government; a return to constitutional principles. But, and here’s the question staring at us, do the members of the movement admit to their responsibility for the present state of affairs and take responsibility for it? Attend a rally or meetings and you will hear a diffident admission to a tacit responsibility. Mention the name of a politician however, and the air fills with scorn directed at not only members of the opposition party but even more at those in the party whose values most closely align with the movement members.

“Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”

“A Republic, if you can keep it.” The response is attributed to Benjamin Franklin.

Have we kept it in the manner the founders intended? For decades we’ve made very comfortable lives for ourselves. It may have been that we believed establishing a comfortable living was all that was necessary to keep the republic and to a large degree it is necessary. But not sufficient. We sustained many of the social institutions necessary to keep the republic: churches, charities, benevolent associations and others. We ignored government. Turned our attention away from it expecting those we elect to at once keep the republic and also to satisfy the myriad concerns we didn’t want to deal with. Mostly mutually exclusive endeavors. You cannot grant government the authority to do something while maintaining your individual rights.

We seem surprised that the movement was able to affect legislation, if only temporarily at the national level, more so at the state level. But what’s the surprise? Politicians do listen. Granted the administration, the state and local governments we have today have turned deaf ears but only because of years of neglect on our part. They have learned that our attention is temporary and short-lived. Let’s go see a movie. What’s on the TV?

It is more than disconcerting to hear the people in the movement blame the politicians for their governing but hold themselves to a much lesser degree of responsibility. A recent newsletter pointed to a retired politician as one who represented the old politics. Well, will those in the movement represent the new politics by staying active in politics for the duration; to the end time? History has proven otherwise. And unless we in the movement stop blaming those who represent us and keep in constant touch with them through the party mechanisms or other persistent methods, we will not “keep the republic”.

Bottom line: Unless we take full responsibility for this mess, little will change. For, as that great philosopher Pogo said, “We have met the enemy, and he is us”.

April 26, 2010

Dear Tea Partier,

Thank you.

I think it is important for those of us who have been engaged in conservative public policy battles for decades to thank you and give credit where credit is due.

While your opponents try to belittle you…smear you…ridicule or ignore you, it is evident to anyone who is paying attention that your efforts are already being felt all across the state.

Despite the story line your detractors are attempting to forward through the mainstream media, it is clear that your interest in politics and policy is informed, deep and goes far beyond attending public rallies every few months.

Because of your continued engagement, legislators in Madison are receiving record levels of contacts from their constituents. Because of your continued engagement, legislative and Congressional town hall meetings across Wisconsin are packed to the brim.

Finally, let me make the following point as clearly as I can.

Because of your continued engagement, three awful pieces of legislation were derailed last week during the waning hours of the final regular floor period of the Wisconsin Legislature.

As I wrote in the current installment of ‘That’s Debatable,’ exchange on WisOpinion.com:

Scot, for months the left, you and the Alinsky Brigade over at OWN have been trumpeting the virtues of efforts to address global warming, the election deform bill and the creation of regional taxing authorities for transit. The governor and both houses of the Legislature are controlled by Democrats. These bills should have been a slam dunk for passage. But, thankfully, like those who attempted to foist New Coke on us a quarter century ago, your side failed. “Epic Fail,” as the kids say these days. Let me save your side the cost of conducting post-implosion focus groups. I have a two-word answer for why the Democrats caved this week: Tea Parties. You see, the growing number of people who keep showing up at events across Wisconsin are smarter, more determined and more active than you give them credit for being. They also called their legislators and encouraged others to call when the left fringe of the Democratic Party tried to choke off the remaining manufacturing jobs in the state, attempted to facilitate greater election fraud, and tried to push a pro-tax, pro-train agenda down their throats. So, thank you, tea partiers. Keep it up. It helps Wisconsin on her road to recovery and it drives Scot and his buddies crazy! Cheers to sweet TEA.

There is no doubt that the defenders of job providers like WMC were diligent in their efforts and helped focus the public debate in opposition to the global warming bill. Similarly, local election officials and established anti-tax groups helped derail the election fraud and RTA bills. But your engagement provided the extra effort that was required to win those battles. You have become the ultimate variable in the poltical equation in Wisconsin.

The pundits who wondered if the Tea Party movement would amount to anything more than occaisional pep rallies do not have to wait until November. They got their answer last week, right here in Wisconsin.

I’ve said it before and will say it again and again: Despite the left’s attempt to paint you as a bunch of toothless, Fox News-brainwashed, GED-correspondence school dropouts who dance to the tune of your Big-Oil and GOP puppet masters, I’ve found you to be informed, skeptical and frustrated at the ever-expanding cost and reach of government. You are not going away, and you are growing in numbers everyday.

I know you don’t do this for adulation or publicity. But again, thanks, and keep up the fantastic work.

Lord knows, there is a lot more to do!

Sincerely,

Brian

By Brian Fraley
A MacIver Institute Perspective

Mark Block says it may take a few years of perspective to figure out what exactly the Tea Party movement accomplishes.

“I think we’re all trying to get our hands and handle around — what is this movement and where is it going? Can it be sustained?” Block said this week in a WisPolitics interview.

Block, the Americans For Prosperity-Wisconsin state director, has had a front row seat as the movement has sprouted and taken root. AFP Wisconsin sponsored the first series of events last year on tax day, April 15, which drew thousands around the state, including an estimated 5,000 at the state Capitol.

A second annual tax day rally is scheduled for Thursday, and Block is hoping this year’s numbers can match last year’s.

But he says the Tea Party movement is neither a subsidiary of AFP Wisconsin nor a branch of the GOP.

“We were very fortunate, Americans for Prosperity. When this movement exploded last year on April 15, we were in position to have the infrastructure in place to kind of give direction to those independent groups,” Block said. “We give them advice. Do we control them? Absolutely not. The day that happens is … the day that the movement will die. Then the movement just becomes another party, becomes a Republican or Democrat party. And I don’t think that’s what the people across Wisconsin are looking for right now.”

Block commended Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman Reince Priebus for listening to the concerns of Tea Party activists and reaching out to them. But that outreach isn’t coming from all GOP quarters.

“There are some Republicans around the state of Wisconsin that quite frankly don’t get it. They don’t understand that this movement, for whatever this movement ends up being, is for real and it’s very deep. They look at groups like Americans for Prosperity as competition. And they shouldn’t. They should embrace us,” he said.

At the same time the Tea Party movement has exploded — Block estimates there are 65 to 70 separate Tea Party groups across the state — so has AFP Wisconsin’s membership. It’s risen to more than 50,000 in the last year, making it the state’s second largest grassroots organization, after WEAC.

Block is pushing for membership to reach 100,000 by July 4. Membership in AFP Wisconsin is free, and the organization is funded through donations, most of which fall in the $150 to $200 range.

Accusations that the organization is funded by Washington, D.C., interests or big oil or insurance companies is “a misperception,” Block said.

“All the things that we do in Wisconsin come from Wisconsin donations or donors,” he said, estimating he spends 60 percent to 70 percent of his time fundraising.

Block, a member of the Republican Party of Waukesha County, agrees that the views of Tea Party activists are more in line with Republican principles.

“If you want to describe being fiscally responsible as a Republican principle, the answer is yes,” he said.

But he said that doesn’t mean a Democrat won’t get support from Tea Party members.

“You have to look at the candidate,” he said. “Is (Dem state Rep.) Bob Ziegelbauer somebody who would be supported by a voter that’s fiscally responsible? I’d answer that `yes.’ Are there other Democrats that are running for office that are fiscally responsible? Absolutely. I think you’re going to see the electorate really take a look at what candidates are saying and what they’re standing for.”

Block said he’s expecting “a Tsunami of epic proportions” this November – though he admits there’s a long way until November. After that, it will be up to the activists to keep the momentum going.

“Will the Tea Party movement hold these people accountable like they should have during the Bush Administration and prior administrations on the spend-and-tax spree that we’re on?” Block said. “It would be very disappointing to me for all of the work and energy and resources we’ve put in to building Americans for Prosperity in Wisconsin to have everybody go home in November and let somebody else watch the store.”

Listen to the interview with Block:
http://www.wispolitics.com/1006/100406Block.mp3

See video clip here.

***MEDIA ADVISORY***

TOMMY THOMPSON TO SPEAK AT TAXPAYER TEA PARTY

Milwaukee- Wisconsin’s most famous statesman will be spending Tax Day reminding elected officials that “November is Coming!”

Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson will be among the speakers at the Taxpayer Tea Party at the State Capitol in Madison on Thursday, April 15th. The Wisconsin State Director of Americans for Prosperity, Mark Block, says he is thrilled Thompson is joining the event.

“Tommy Thompson ended welfare as we knew it in Wisconsin, our economy prospered under his watch – creating a half million new jobs and he delivered the largest property tax cut in our state’s history,” Block said, “His message of common-sense conservatism is what Wisconsin needs more than ever.”

Tommy Thompson joins a growing list of taxpayer warriors at the Taxpayer Tea Party including:
Vicki McKenna, WISN and WIBA Radio, Milwaukee and Madison
Mark Block, State Director, Americans for Prosperity
Linda Hansen, Executive Director, Wisconsin Prosperity Network
Pat Snyder, WSAU Radio, Wausau
Paul Kern, WRJN Radio, Racine
Tim Dake, Wisconsin Grandsons of Liberty
Kim Simac, Northwoods Patriots
Michael Dean, First Freedoms Foundation
David King, Milwaukee God Squad
Ron Johnson, Oshkosh Tea Party
Larry Gamble, Oath Keepers

Tax Day Taxpayer Tea Party Rally:
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Wisconsin State Capitol, King Street Side of Capitol, Madison, WI

More information can be found at fightbackwisconsin.com
###
Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP has more than 975,000 members, including members in all 50 states, and 30 state chapters and affiliates. More than 60,000 Americans in all 50 states have made a financial investment in AFP or AFP Foundation. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

Americans for Prosperity State Director will announce “November is Coming” campaign at Tax-Day Taxpayer Tea Party

(Milwaukee) – Whether lawmakers like it or not, November is Coming! And on Tax Day, April 15th, they will be hearing it directly from the people of Wisconsin. The State Director of Americans for Prosperity, Mark Block says taxpayers can’t be ignored anymore.

“On the anniversary of the largest Taxpayer Tea Party held on the steps of the State Capitol, we are launching the “November is Coming” campaign to highlight the explosion of the Tea Party movement in Wisconsin,” said Mark Block, State Director of Americans for Prosperity. “The enormous growth of activists from all across the state exemplifies the mood across the country, “said Block. We are highlighting local leaders from communities all across our great state as they are the ones who have helped to mobilize an army of individuals who will no longer sit back and let government trample their rights and destroy their economic futures. They are the ones who have continually helped us to send the message to our legislators that “Enough is Enough” and “November is Coming.”

The Tax-Day Taxpayer Tea Party will be attended by activists from across Wisconsin, many of whom who will then head back to their local areas to lead their own Tea Party gathering. “Our activists are tireless and dedicated,” said Block. “We invite people from every corner of our state to come to Madison on April 15 to hear their stories and to join with us as we let our government officials know we will not take it anymore and that we want legislators who will actually listen to the citizens.”

Thursday, April 15th, 2010
11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Wisconsin State Capitol
King Street Side of Capitol
Madison, WI

Announced Speakers:
Vicki McKenna, WISN and WIBA Radio, Milwaukee and Madison
Mark Block, State Director, Americans for Prosperity
Linda Hansen, Executive Director, Wisconsin Prosperity Network
Pat Snyder, WSAU Radio, Wausau
Paul Kern, WRJN Radio, Racine
Tim Dake, Wisconsin Grandsons of Liberty
Kim Simac, Northwoods Patriots
Michael Dean, First Freedoms Foundation

Additional Speakers to be announced
Event information, bus registration, and more can be found at www.fightbackwisconsin.com

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

By Greg Bump
WisPolitics.com

WISCONSIN DELLS — Speakers at the third annual “Defending the American Dream Summit,” hosted by the Wisconsin chapter of Americans for Prosperity, railed against health care reform, cap and trade and energy policy reform, the federal stimulus, and what they perceive as a general erosion of personal freedoms suffered under Democratic majority rule.

“We rightly recognize the American idea is under attack and we have to come to its defense,” said U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, who sent a video message to attendees at the Wisconsin Dells conference.

Keynote speaker Michael Reagan told the estimated 2,000 activists in attendance that “it is indeed time for another revolution,” noting it has been 30 years since his father’s “Reagan Revolution.”

Reagan, a conservative radio host, said without activism like the kind embodied in the Tea Party movement, his father Ronald Reagan may never have been elected president.

“It is time for another noisy rebellion,” he said.

He urged vigilance, saying “liberals, those people who are against our freedoms” never rest.

“The side that wants to take away our freedoms is working 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said.

Reagan, whose image was prominently featured on the event’s Web page, said despite what his brother, liberal talk radio host Ron, says, his father would have supported groups like Americans for Prosperity.

“It was organizations like this that elected Ronald Reagan to the presidency in 1980. So thank you,” Reagan said.

AFP Wisconsin state director Mark Block said the organization started out three years ago with 250 members. It’s now grown to more than 54,000 in the last year, “thanks to the Tea Party movement,” Block said. Block said a Tea Party rally is scheduled for April 15 in Madison.

Block said AFP is now the second largest grassroots group in Wisconsin. But they’re not settling for second place, especially with the state teacher’s union, WEAC, with 92,000 members sitting at the top of the list.

Block’s goal is for AFP to reach 100,000 members by this July 4.

Tim Nerenz, executive vice president of the Oldenburg Group Inc., a Milwaukee-based defense, mining and engineering firm, said American people have to return to a system where, “We own the mansion and government is the cabana boy.”

“And what does a good master do when a cabana boy doesn’t know his place?” Nerenz, a Llibertarian running against Dem U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin of Madison, asked the crowd. “That’s right. He fires him. … We should sack the whole mess of them and start over.”

There was a general feeling of anger and frustration running through the speakers. Nerenz declared, “We are not the party of no. We are the party of hell no.”

Though the rally didn’t promote formal partisan ties, Republican candidates were prominently featured.

Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, who is facing re-election this fall, highlighted efforts to “protect liberties” in his first term, enforcing “the rule of law not just against individuals, but against the government itself.”

Van Hollen ripped President Obama for criticizing the U.S. Supreme Court, saying that Obama is not providing “the sort of leadership we need in this country.”

“The sort of leadership we need is the sort of leadership that we are providing to make sure we will take unprecedented steps to protect your Second Amendment constitutional rights,” Van Hollen said.

He also highlighted his work to defend “traditional marriage,” prosecuting voter fraud, and enforcing immigration laws.

“We have taken over 360 criminal illegal aliens off the street and deported them to their countries of origin,” Van Hollen said.

“We need to preserve America for Americans,” Van Hollen said.

Among the Republicans politicking at the rally were U.S. Senate candidate Terrence Wall and congressional candidate Sean Duffy, who introduced speakers. Other Republicans in attendance included David Westlake and Dan Mielke, Wall’s and Duffy’s respective primary opponents, gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker and lieutenant governor candidate Rebecca Kleefisch. About a dozen GOP candidates had information booths set up outside the meeting hall.

Conservative state Supreme Court Justices Michael Gableman and David Prosser, a former GOP state lawmaker, also attended.

Prosser, who’s up for re-election next year, said the judiciary is under attack in the state from outside influences “spearheaded by ideologues who like activist judges who legislate from the bench.”

Referring to the two most recent state Supreme Court contests, which were won by Gableman and another conservative, Annette Ziegler, Prosser said those interests “are attempting to nullify two recent (Supreme Court) elections by harassing, defaming and intimidating the winners and trying to force their withdrawal from key cases.”

Further, he said, “They’re attempting to gum up future elections with requirements and restrictions that will make it impossible for a candidate to control his or her own campaign.”

Liberal group One Wisconsin Now mocked the proceedings, with OWN executive director Scot Ross saying in a statement that Wisconsin families are surely “waiting breathlessly to hear a group of Republicans offer more failed Republican policies which already collapsed our economy and cost millions their piece of the American Dream.

“Look for these partisans to call for more calls for tax cuts for the rich, more corporate deregulation, more money for the bankers and more health insurance company profits — and all of it paid for by middle class families,” Ross said.

State GOP chairman Reince Priebus made a pitch to the crowd, saying the party is “rebuilding credibility” with near unanimous votes against “PelosiCare and ObamaCare.”

He said Ryan and U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner are the kind of candidates conservatives can stand behind.

“The answer is we need people of their word,” Priebus said. “We need to start governing like we campaign.”

Sensenbrenner, R-Menomonee Falls, blasted the “cap and tax” proposal and thanked the crowd for helping halt the proposal. But he said Obama “and liberals in Congress are still looking for ways to tax our energy.

“If Congress won’t act, then the EPA is threatening to enforce the tax through its bureaucracy. By expanding the definition of the Clean Air Act from its simple goal of keeping dangerous toxins out of the air, the EPA recently found the air we all exhale – carbon dioxide – is so dangerous that you must be taxed for it,” Sensenbrenner said. “So I guess the answer from Al Gore and Barack Obama is hold your nose.”

Grover Norquist, a leading national conservative voice and the head of Americans for Tax Reform, said citizens whose political leanings are to the right of center “simply want government to leave us alone.”

Norquist said his plan has a two-step process: stop any and all tax increases, and stop excessive government spending.

He didn’t let Republicans who vote for tax increases off the hook either, though he said they are a rarer breed than Democrats. He likened Republicans who raise taxes to the experience of finding the head of a rat in a nearly finished soft drink.

“Those few Republicans who do raise taxes, they’re the ratheads in a Coke bottle,” he said.

Joe Wurzelbacher, who gained fame during the 2008 presidential campaign as “Joe the Plumber,” was presented with a “Defender of the American Dream” award.

“I demand less taxes. I demand less involvement in my personal life,” Wurzelbacher said, drawing applause.

Hosted by Americans for Prosperity Foundation
Wisconsin Chapter

Co- Sponsored by the Wisconsin Prosperity Network

Friday, March 12, 2010 – Saturday, March 13, 2010
Chula Vista Resort, 2501 River Road, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965

Hotel Reservations for Chula Vista and surrounding hotels 1-800-388-4782
Additional Hotels Rates Can Be found At www.fightbackwisconsin.com

This agenda, all events, speakers, and times subject to change
Registration at www.fightbackwisconsin.com
Member Registration $ 39.99 – Student Registration $ 24.99
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Michigan
Sponsorship Opportunities Available

Friday, March 12th
10:00 am
Pre-Registration – AFP & WPN Summit Headquarters Room
Chula Vista Resort – Laguna Vista Room – 2nd Floor
Pre-Registration Pick-Up Location
AFP & WPN Staff Office
Chula Vista Resort – Aztec Room – 2nd Floor

4:00 pm
Chula Vista Dome Opens For Vendors

5:00 – 6:30 pm
Candidate and Coalition Receptions
Note: Candidate & Coalition Receptions are NOT sponsored or funded by Americans for Prosperity Foundation, Americans for Prosperity, or Wisconsin Prosperity Network. They are sponsored by totally separate organizations or individual campaigns. Contact candidates for specific information.

7:30 – 9:00 pm
AFPF – AFP Welcoming Reception
Sponsored by Wisconsin Prosperity Network
Chula Vista Resort – Conference Center Ballroom

Mix and mingle with speakers, leaders, and staff members.

Saturday, March 13th

8:00 am
Shuttle Service Available Between Resort and Chula Vista Dome
* Chula Vista Parking and Shuttle Fees Apply

8:00-9:30 am
REGISTRATION
Chula Vista Dome

9:30 am
OPENING CEREMONY – FREEDOM TEAM

9:40 am
SPEAKERS
Mark Block – AFPF & AFP Wisconsin State Director
Tim Phillips – President Americans for Prosperity
Tim Nerenz – The Oldenburg Group
Lord Christopher Monckton – Former Adviser to Margaret Thatcher
J.B. Van Hollen – Wisconsin Attorney General
Grover Norquist – Americans for Tax Reform
Phil Kerpen – National Policy Director, Americans for Prosperity
Paul Driessen, APR, Esq.
Eric O’Keefe – CEO, Sam Adams Alliance
Linda Hansen – Wisconsin Prosperity Network and Prosperity 101™
Steve Moore – Wall Street Journal Debra Waller – Chairman of the Board & CEO, Jockey International
James Sensenbrenner, Member of Congress
Niger Innis, Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
John Fund, Wall Street Journal
Bucky to the Rescue – Dr. Chris Magiera Dr. David Gratzer – Author, The Cure
David Prosser – WI Supreme Court Justice
Herman Cain – Author, Radio Talk Show Host

11:30 am
Defender of the American Dream Awards
Presented by State Representative Leah Vukmir & Pat Synder, WSAU Radio
National Award: Joe the Plumber (Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher)
State Award: State Representative Bill Kramer
Media Award: Patrick McIlheran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
AFP-WI Volunteer of the Year: Jim Zeiler

12:00 Noon
Lunch Served in the Chula Vista Dome – Tickets Required Note: All pre-registered attendees will be guaranteed lunch. Lunch tickets are not guaranteed to same-day registrants but will be provided on a first-come, first serve basis.

12:30-1:15pm
Lunch Program
Vicki McKenna, WISN Radio, WIBA Radio
Keynote Speaker, Michael Reagan

Shuttle Service Provided to Chula Vista Resort for Afternoon Sessions

1:45 – 3:00 pm
Session 1

Break Out 1-A
RightOnLine – New Media
Chula Vista Dome

Learn how to maximize your effectiveness by harnessing the power of the internet. Study best-practices, learn new tools and techniques, understand social media networking, and learn to use technology safely and effectively.

Erik Telford, Executive Director, RightOnline
J.J. Blonien, Editor, AFP-Weekly Reader
Curt Mercadante, Merc Strategy Group

Break Out 1-B
Global Warming – Climate Change – Economic Suicide
Chula Vista Club House

Learn facts about climate change, global warming, “green jobs”, and corresponding legislative proposals. Study the economic impact of proposed federal and state legislation and how it would affect you and your family.

Phil Kerpen, AFP National Policy Director
James Sensenbrenner, Member of Congress
Lord Christopher Monckton
Paul Driessen, APR, Esq.
Niger Innis, Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
State Representative Jim Ott

Break Out 1-C
Hands Off My Health Care!

Hear from medical experts about the effects of proposed health care legislation. Find out what you can do to maintain your health care freedoms.

Dr. David Gratzer
Dr. Pam Galloway
Dr. Chris Magiera
Dr. Joshua Block

Break Out 1-D
It’s Your Vote …Protect It!

Voter Fraud. It is real. It is rampant. It is a problem in Wisconsin. Study the facts and learn how to protect your vote and safeguard our democracy.

Ardis Cerny, Co-Chair, The We’re Watching Committee
Mary Ann Hanson, Co-Chair, The We’re Watching Committee
Ginny Graham, Annette Kuglitsch, Debbie Moran
John Fund, Wall Street Journal, Author of Stealing Elections, How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy

Break Out 1-E
Prosperity 101™ – Voter Education

Prosperity 101™ Job Security through Business Prosperity, is an innovative new approach to voter education and mobilization. Learn how to impact your workplace and your schools with foundational truths about our economy. Become informed, involved, and impactful to protect YOUR prosperity.

Linda Hansen, Wisconsin Prosperity Network and Prosperity 101™
Steve Moore, Wall Street Journal
Herman Cain, The New Voice
Panel of Business Leaders

Break Out 1-F
Media Relations 101

Learn best practices for dealing with the press and how to maximize your effectiveness in various media markets.
Panelists with share the Do’s and Don’ts of Media Relations to help your voice have impact.

Mary Ellen Burke, AFP, National State Communications Manager
Vicki McKenna, WISN Radio, WIBA Radio
Patrick McIlheran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Pat Synder, WSAU Radio
Bob Delaporte, Wildwood Communications

Break Out 1-G
Property Rights and Coordination

Our Founding Fathers guaranteed our right to own property, but the right is in jeopardy. Hear from experts in the field, study proposals regarding land use, and learn to protect your right to private property.

Fred Kelly Grant, Stewards of the Range
Don Parmeter, American Environmental Institute
Jay Verhulst, Foundation for Common Sense

Break Out 1-H
Legal Implications for Organizations

What are legal rules for activists and organizations seeking to impact public policy? Learn how to protect yourself and your organization by attending this important session.

John Flynn, Americans for Prosperity, Legal Counsel
Mike Dean, First Freedoms Foundation, Legal Counsel
James Troupis, Attorney, Michael Best & Friedrich

Break Out 1-I
Dude -Who Stole My Wallet?

Specifically designed for College and High School students, this session will cover basic economic principles in a unique way. If you are a 15-25 year old, or if you work with young people, this session is for you.

Walter Nocito

3:45 – 5:00 pm

Session 2

Break Out 2-A
Net Neutrality

Government take-over of the internet? Learn the stark realities of such proposals and how you can protect your First Amendment rights and the right to freely access information and technology.

Phil Kerpen, Americans for Prosperity, Vice-President & Policy Analyst

Break Out 2-B
Taxpayer Tea Parties – Health Care Constitutional Amendment

Who are Tea Party activists and how are they impacting our state and our nation? Meet the “people-next- door” who have helped to revolutionize the political debate in Wisconsin. Learn how to be involved to protect YOUR freedoms!

Jim Zeiler, AFP Wisconsin
Oriannah Paul, Sheboygan Tea Party
Tim Dake, Grandsons of Liberty
Meg Ellefson, Wausau Tea Party
Scott Sidney, AFP Wisconsin

Break Out 2-C
Countering Alinsky’s Rules

Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals hit the nation and began a tidal wave of liberal activism. Study the impact and reach of the center-left movement and learn how you can counteract it by becoming aware and involved to create a tidal wave of conservative activism.

Vicki McKenna, WISN Radio, WIBA Radio
Brian Schimming, WIBA Radio
Maggie Delaporte, Women Patriots of Wisconsin
Jolene Churchill, Women Patriots of Wisconsin

Break Out 2-D
Fair Taxation for States
Understand fair and unfair taxation for states and how it affects you every day.M. Kevin McLaughlin, Iowans for Discounted Taxes
Brett Healy, President, The John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy

Break Out 2-E
Transparency & Government Accountability

Transparency in government is not unattainable. Voter watchfulness, voter education, and voter involvement will stem the tide of government waste and corruption. Learn how you can promote transparency in government.

Sheila Weinberg, The Institute for Truth in Accounting
Dan Burton, Community Organizer
State Representative Bill Kramer

Break Out 2-F
Activist and Candidate Training

Are you a fiscal conservative considering a run for School Board, City Council, County Board or even the State Assembly or Senate? Attend this session to learn valuable first steps and critical information about legal issues, campaign organization, and more. This is a must for potential candidates!

Lonny Leitner, American Majority

Break Out 2-G
Executive Briefing – Wisconsin Prosperity Network and Prosperity 101™
Chula Vista Resort – Upper Dells Ballroom

Open to Prosperity Warriors and Prosperity Club Members

Linda Hansen, Wisconsin Prosperity Network & Prosperity 101™
Steve Moore, Wall Street Journal
Herman Cain, The New Voice
John Fund, The Wall Street Journal
Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform
Michael Reagan, RadioTalk Show Host and son of President Ronald Reagan
Wisconsin Business Leaders:
Tom Schuette, Wausua Homes
Steve Loehr, Kwik Trip
Dr. Tim Nerenz, Oldenburg Group, Inc.
Steven Fettig, Tankcraft & Plasticraft Corp.
Gerardo (Jerry) Gonzalez , Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan, LLP

5:00 pm
Official Summit Activities Conclude
Shuttle Service Will Be Provided to Chula Vista Dome Closing Session

5:30 – 7:00 pm
Reception – Sponsored and Hosted by Wisconsin Center for Economic Prosperity
Chula Vista Dome

Meet and mingle with candidates from across the state. Reception is fully sponsored and hosted by Wisconsin Center for Economic Prosperity.

Co-Hosts: Rob Kieckhefer and Jason Kohout
For Information visit: www.wcep.org

Notice of this reception is provided for information only. The reception and corresponding activities are not sponsored or hosted by Americans for Prosperity Foundation, Americans for Prosperity, or the Wisconsin Prosperity Network.

7:00 – 9:00 pm
Dinner On Your Own

9:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Mark (Block) & Mike (Kaminski) After the Tea Party – Party
Chula Vista Convention Center

Live Music – Cash Bar. Mix and mingle with others and relax in the beauty of the Chula Vista Resort.

Note:
Summit attendees are invited to join Lord Monckton and the Republican Party of Sauk County (RPSC) for dinner (cocktails at 6; dinner at 7) at the Kalahari Resort. AFP attendees will receive the special membership rate of $35. Pre-register by emailing chair@saukgop.org with your names and tickets requested. Pick them up at the RPSC booth.
This invitation is provided for information only. The RPSC Dinner and corresponding activities are not sponsored or hosted by Americans for Prosperity Foundation, Americans for Prosperity, or the Wisconsin Prosperity Network.

1. Commuter rail is extremely expensive. The Parsons-Brinckerhoff Transport 2020 study of commuter rail found that it would cost three times as much as improvements in bus service throughout the Madison area.

2. Only a few people will have the opportunity to ride it. While the bus improvements mentioned above would serve the entire Madison area, commuter rail would serve only one corridor.

3. Even fewer people actually would ride it. Most new commuter rail lines in places like Seattle, Dallas, and San Jose carry only a few thousand riders a day.
In 2007, Seattle’s carried 4,000 round-trips per weekday; Portland, ME about 500; Ft. Lauderdale 550; Nashville
264; Dallas-Ft. Worth 4,450; San Diego 2,900; Stockton-San Jose 1,400. Any respectable bus route can carry that many people. (B.R. addition: One lane of a highway can carry more people 24/7, 365 days including weekends and holidays)

4. Buses are safer: commuter rail kills more than twice as many people per passenger mile carried than buses.

5. Buses are more flexible and don’t require intrusive land-use regulation. An accident shuts down rail service; buses can drive around. Because rails are fixed, rail transit agencies promote land-use regulation that greatly restricts what people can do with their land both near rail stations (where they promote higher densities) and far away (where they want to limit development so that everyone has to live near the rail line).

Portland ’s new mayor, for example, says he wants to put ALL 300,000 new residents that Portland expects in the next 25 years within a quarter mile of a rail station. Sounds just like Kathleen Falk doesn’t it?

6. T2020 says you “can’t build more roads in Isthmus due to the geographic restrictions- narrow Isthmus surrounded by lakes.” These same reasons apply to adding trains that cross 60 existing roads 8,000 a day between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. It only makes it 60 times worse than without the trains. Trains will cause instant and continuing gridlock at all those RR Crossings. The existing RR Tracks are not underground or elevated. They are at the same grade as the roads and were built for Freight in the 1850’s long before most of the roads that are there today were put down.

7. If you move all the existing Freight trains to 12a.m to 4 a.m. to accommodate commuter rail between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., you will have the noise, train whistles and commotion of trains DAY and NIGHT!

8. With buses, you can try them out in a new area or to a nearby city with little cost to lease or run buses for a trial period. If it works, you can add on for little cost. If it doesn’t, you can adjust the areas served and see if that works. If it doesn’t, you drop it and you haven’t lost much money or time.

9. With commuter rail, you must invest a billion dollars or more over 4 or 5 years to build the infrastructure, equipment and skilled people for the line before the first passenger steps aboard. You cannot predict how many people will ride the rails, and once put down, can never change the route. If it turns out poorly and you shut it down, you must repay all the Federal funds you received and return the equipment that is portable and deal with all that is not portable.

10. Liability insurance for buses is not cheap – unless you compare it with insurance for commuter rail. Across the U.S. the Freight train owners have negotiated a no-fault agreement with their rail sharing partners – commuter rail – so that even if they are the cause of an accident, they are not liable for any damages.

Example: CAL Metro accident in Sept 08 could run as high as $1 Billion in damages that will be paid by the taxpayers, not the Freight train owners. (The at-fault party was CAL Metro also)

It’s been a year since Rick Santelli’s epic rant on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade. Who could have guessed that his call for a 4th of July “tea party” on Chicago’s lakefront would be the catalyst for birthing a national movement?

When a string of nationwide tea parties exploded onto the national scene last April, the phenomena was dismissed (and dissed) by the political class as “Astroturf”. Tea parties have since collectively morphed into a bona fide national political movement that is now widely regarded as a major force in the upcoming 2010 election cycle. Mark Block, Wisconsin State Director of Americans for Prosperity recalled the past year recently.

While acknowledging January’s “Massachusetts Miracle” and last November’s New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial victories as evidence of the tea party’s muscle, Block’s take is a little different: “Massachusetts was an interesting win. But if you would have been standing in that cabbage field in Racine, Wisconsin in 20 degree weather in January with 4,000 other people, you’d realize just how deep this movement really is.”

Block was hoping for a turnout of 2,000 for the first Madison tea party last April 15. When 8,000 folks showed up – with handmade signs no less – the handful of organizers were stunned. Block said, “People didn’t realize that there were that many people that felt and thought like they did.” 65,000 people attended 24 tea parties around Wisconsin last 4th of July. Another record 15,000 turned out for a tea party at Milwaukee’s lakefront last September.

Meg Ellefson is a stay-at-home mom who was worried enough about her kids’ future that she went back home and started a local tea party group in Wausau. Wausau also happens to be the hometown of Rep. David Obey (D-7th District), House Appropriations Committee Chairman and author of the hugely unpopular Stimulus bill.

When Obey declined to hold even a single “listening session” in his own hometown last August, a record 1,400 folks showed up in Wausau August 27 for an AFP Healthcare Town Hall. Now in a fight for his political life, Obey is trying to hang on to the seat he’s held for 40 years. Seasoned political observers suggest that Obey is “toast” in what will amount to a political tsunami around Wisconsin (and the nation) in November. 

When it comes to the future, Block is crystal clear: “The day that the Tea Party appoints a leader is the day the movement dies. The day it decides to become a third party is its death knell.” 

According to Block, there are far more Reagan Democrats and JFK Democrats out there than Obama Democrats. Block  is exhorting Independents, Tea Party Democrats and disgruntled Tea Party Republicans to get involved at the local party level and work to get fiscally responsible candidates elected. The strategy is deceptively simple: infiltrate and take over where it matters the most. 

Block expects another blockbuster crowd for the upcoming “Defending the American Dream Summit” in Wisconsin Dells on March 12-13. He suggests registering at: www.fightbackwisconsin.org 

March 5, 2:57 PMMilwaukee Political Buzz ExaminerKathy Banaszak