Florida LP County Chair: "Libertarian Party was the original "tea party""

From a letter to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times:

The Libertarian Party was the original "tea party" founded in 1971. We have always stood for constitutionally limited government, fiscal responsibility and personal/social freedom. The fact that the tea parties are up and running is encouraging because people are finally realizing that government is not their friend and, ultimately, is the only entity that can legally use force to make them comply.

But please do not be mistaken. Limited government parties and movements are by no means a new phenomena. The Libertarian Party has remained a bastion of consistency since its beginning, having altered its party platform very little since 1971. We remain committed to those principles even though the dominant parties change policy with every election cycle.

Joe Haynes, chairman, Libertarian Party of Pinellas County, Seminole