Dear Readers: I was blessed to be able to talk interview Italian Tea Party Coordinator David Mazerrelli last week. The event was a success, bringing together Italian conservatives, libertarians, and even liberals together so they could focus on the problems with over-taxation and strangling regulation. Please check out the first media report HERE by using GOOGLE TRANSLATE.
Image Credit: http://www.libero-news.it
THE TEA PARTY LANDS IN ITALY: Lower Taxes, More Freedom
Italy initiated its version the Tea Party, originally made in the USA. Last night, in a room in the center district of Prato, which was filled animated speakers, attentive listeners and curious fans who were also joined by proven supporters of liberal battles (high was the participation of Libertarian Movement), Italy inaugurated its own Tea Party movement with these main goals: lower taxes and more freedom.
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Interview with DUTCH TEA PARTY COORDINATOR
I am hoping to have more details from David later this week. While working on this story, I also learned of the DUTCH TEA PARTY movement. RH is one of the coordinators spearheading an event to be held May 29th in the Netherlands (click HERE for the event Facebook Page). RH kindly agreed to answer a few of my questions, so that we can understand Dutch concerns better.
Dutch Tea Party May 29
MUT: How did your interest in the Tea Party movement begin?
My interest in politics began when Pim Fortuyn entered Dutch politics. He was shot to death by a leftish activist, but according to the polls he would have been Prime minister if he wasn’t killed. I read his book and read about the benefits of capitalism. And when you talk about capitalism, you talk about Ludwig von Mises and Ayn Rand. Their books have taught me the basic moral principles of libertarianism, such as individual unalienable rights. The morality of libertarianism made me condemn every single European constitution and made me loyal to the American one. I’m worried about two Presidents in a row that took a lot of unconstitutional decisions that brought your beautiful country to the brink of disaster.
MUT: What is the next Dutch Tea Party event?
Our first Dutch Tea Party is at may 29th in front of the Parliament building in The Hague. We have chosen to organize our party 2 weeks before the Dutch elections so we might have a little influence on those. We were able to arrange some very capable speakers. A famous political journalist, a member of parliament for the Christian democrats, a former member of the conservative Edmund Burke think tank and a libertarian speaker.
MUT: How did you first learn of the American Tea Party movement?
I read something about it on Foxnews.com and then started to look for information about it. I am a libertarian and I was impressed by the huge amount of people that attended those Tea Parties. Cindy (another Dutch Tea Party Coordinator) and I knew each other from Dutch political forums, so I offered her my immediate support when I heard she wanted to start a Dutch Tea Party.
MUT: How does the Dutch media portray the American Tea Party movement?
There was a documentary about it on the public net yesterday because of Rand Paul’s victory.(We have a public net but all the media in it are socialist or religious, so we all pay for it, but we don’t benefit all from it). This documentary described the visitors of Tea Parties as mostly white, gun-loving conservative rednecks who refuse any compromise. Their conclusion was that these ‘orthodox Tea Party people’ pull the GOP even further to the right, so that the GOP looses many votes of the more neutral voters and only gets votes from rightwing nutjobs. Those same media worship our socialist major in Amsterdam, who is now running for prime-minister. This man financed a mosque with 2 million euros of tax money.
MUT: Who are the “Dutch Tea Party Leaders”?
There are two main organizers, Cindy and Richard Schneider. My compliments to both of them for organizing a huge event like this with 5 children at home. They are being supported in any possible way by a few very passionate people.
MUT: What inspired you get involved with the Dutch Tea Party?
My inspiration is the lack of knowing of the European masses. Our constitutions say that we have a right to social security if we loose our job, that we have a right to education, to health care, even to earn a PC. In my hometown, the lowest incomes who don’t work for whatever reason, receive a PC from their local government. Socialist parties call it solidarity, but solidarity has to be voluntary cause forced-by-government solidarity is a form of legalized slavery. Europeans don’t know anything about individual unalienable rights. They simply accept that 50% of their income is being taxed. The European Union tells us that we have to donate 0,8% of our national income to poor world regions like Africa. And tell me, did that dependency on Europe really improve things back there in Africa? Governments in whole Europe tax people for about 40-50%, and they still manage to create huge national debts. Thát is the benefit of socialism.
Our minister of Finance just donates 5 billion Euros to Greece, the total EU donation is 130 billion. Greece has lied about its financial situation to get into the Euro. 25% of all Greeks works for Greek government, they retire at the age of 53!! I wonder what gives our government the right to give a tremendous part of our income to such a corrupt country. And I wonder even more why Europeans refuse to protest against that. We’re being ropped by our governments and nobody actually cares.
MUT: What are the most significant ways that Dutch businesses are stifled by taxes or does its government impede the prosperity and liberty of its citizens?
Besides all these poisoning taxes, Dutch business owners are also confronted with rules, rules and rules. Bureaucracy is immense. And the main problem is: Brussels (where the EU is located) tells us all how to do it.
MUT: How many other, similar “Tea Party” groups are there in other Dutch cities?
None, this is the first one. But it is organized and supported by people all over the Netherlands (our country is just 300 kms long). We hope to turn this into a yearly event all over Europe because Italy and the Netherlands aren’t the only countries with a collectivist government.
We will pray for the success and safety of Roy and the our Tea Party compatriots in the Netherlands. I will follow this event closely, and hopefully report on its success after it is held this Saturday. I would urge my fellow Americans to click on the Facebook site and send our friends good wishes and encouragement.
Crdit: http://www.catchy-eyes.nl/
(MUT Note: The UK Guardian has a chilling account of the light verdict that Fortuyn’s killer received from the Dutch legal system (click HERE). It also details Fortuyn’s stance on immigration, which is no less troubling a problem in Europe than it is in the US).
Temple of Mut 