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Regarding Clarence Page's op-ed article titled "An orphan tea party movement" in the ViewPoints section of the April 22 Steamboat Today:

I went to the local tea party and held an American flag. It was very well-organized and peaceful and had all walks of life there. I have never participated in anything like that and enjoyed watching and listening to people. Page's remark that "taxes offered a convenient issue" was odd. It is the issue!

I am a business owner and taxpayer, and like most middle-Americans have stood by and watched very poor management of taxpayer dollars. I have been impressed by listening to people of both left and right and hearing that people are not divided on this issue. I went with a military veteran and listened to the words of a women whose son has done three tours. We are the infrastructure to America, and I am proud to stand up against a government that refuses to hear what people really think.

Most of the signs reflected peoples' concerns about "out-of-control spending." There is no race issue; the main worry is, where is this country headed, and how do you eliminate debt by spending more? Giving big business billions after they have mismanaged and lost billions doesn't reflect well with people who have operated businesses and managed their finances and paid their taxes. What part don't they get? If I were to run my business like that, I wouldn't be in business, nor would anyone I know. It doesn't take a Harvard graduate or, more simply put, a rocket scientist, to know that bad business management is just that - bad.

The only remark Page made in his column that I agree with is a moratorium on the use of Hitler as a metaphor for anyone but Hitler. However, those signs were a small reflection of all the others that spoke out against out-of-control spending, debt for generations to come, campaign promises broken, etc. The media needs to stop choosing what works for their cause and start seeing the big picture of how we, as middle America, are trying to speak out against what is happening in our government.

Do I have a solution? Maybe. What if every elected official at the state and federal levels were to take a 10 percent cut in their salaries like so many state employees have been asked to do? Americans have had to cut back, budget more and eliminate the extras. What if every elected official had to eliminate any chauffeur-driven vehicles, unnecessary travel and parties? Think of the millions that could be put back into our economy, and we would have leaders leading by example. What a concept.

Elizabeth Pearce

Routt County