It is amazing to me how the Democrats have totally misinterpreted the reasons for their historic defeat in the recent elections. The reasons for their loss are clear: The American people overwhelmingly rejected the unprecedented growth of government and the increase in costs of the mostly political reasons for this expansion of government power, using the most inefficient system in history, (government) to try to solve problems.

I submit that the “government” cannot efficiently organize a cockfight, let alone manipulate the behavior of business by increasing burdensome regulation with a 70,000-page tax code and 30,000 pages of regulations that require interpretation by a team of lawyers.

Nobody is talking about the real change that is taking place in the world economy; the fact that 30 percent of the world is supporting the other 70 percent with their talent, energy, effort, and money, and are getting tired of it.

The people riding in the wagon (politicians and their constituents receiving the benefits) are telling the ones pulling the wagon to pull harder. The productive segment, (those pulling the wagon) are saying, “Enough.” Since any attempt in Washington to reduce the rate of increase of anything is defined by Democrats as a “cut,” the beneficiaries of this or that program will take to the streets, protesting the “spending cuts.” This is already happening in Europe.

The Tea Party has been derided by almost all liberal Democrats as mostly older white people, ignorant, unsophisticated, rednecks, racists, bigots, peasants, etc. The Tea Party has renounced violence as a method of protest, unlike other protest movements in the United States, and has chosen to try to change policy by voting for people who promise to limit the growth of government.

People who normally vote for Democrats have carried out most of the violent protests during the last 40 years. Conservatives are merely saying that some of these riders should get out of the wagon and help the others pull.

Jim Pickens

Vicksburg