When the tea party was formed, the national debt was their number one and as far as I remember, their only issue. There was a certain kinship between us old Ross Perot Reform party members with them as that was our only issue. We believed any stances, pro or con on any other issue was up to the individual. The Reform Party took no official stance on any other issue. We had hoped the Tea Party would become a political party unto their own, a viable third party.

But they decided to join the Republican Party instead. I understood that with ballot access and a ton of other hoops any third party must jump through just to get on the ballot. Plus, a thousand other obstacles thrown in front of any third party and or independent who tries to challenge the two-party monopoly we have. We had been through all of that twice, 1992 and 1996. But then the Tea Party dropped their national debt mantra and became religious zealots and social conservatives. Regular hard-core Republicans. No different than the religious right. All kinship was lost. To us ex-reform party members they became just a foot note in a history book. I hadn’t thought of them in years.

It's high past time that we start electing Americans to congress and the presidency who put America first instead of their political party. For way too long we have been electing Republicans and Democrats who happen to be Americans instead of Americans who happen to be Republicans and Democrats.