	23 May 2012 Good for Franklin Graham! Franklin Graham got it exactly right in his reaction to Barack Obama's official proclamation of support for … Read More.
	16 May 2012 Good for Franklin Graham! Franklin Graham got it exactly right in his reaction to Barack Obama's official proclamation of support for … Read More.
	9 May 2012 Who Was the First Leftist? Rush Limbaugh asked a question last week — and it got me to thinking. "Who was the first leftist?" … Read More.

Tea Party -- Awaken!

You are about to be betrayed — all you Tea Party people who arose last year and caused the biggest shakeup in the U.S. Congress in 60 years.

But don't throw up your hands in despair just yet — it's not too late to hold accountable the Republicans you empowered with your activism and your votes.

There is still an outside chance we can scare Republicans into doing the right thing on the debt limit by persuading them it's in their best interests to do so.

Earlier this year, we flooded the offices of House Republicans with more than 1 million letters calling on them to stand firm against authorizing more borrowing and spending with an increased debt limit. We turned some heads and changed some votes. But Republicans in the House are getting wobbly again, mainly because of the almost unbelievably poor leadership of House Speaker John Boehner and meddling by a handful of irrelevant GOP members of the Senate.

It's time to hit them again — harder.

The only vehicle I know that can work in the time we have left is the "No More Red Ink" campaign. It's a way you can FedEx red letters to every Republican in the House urging them to stay strong and do the only thing they can do to cut spending and end borrowing — voting no on raising the debt limit.

Clearly Barack Obama and the Democrats will not compromise. Those offers never should have been made in the first place. Asking Democrats to cut government spending is like asking drunks to stop drinking.

Drinking is what drunks do. Spending your hard-earned money irresponsibly is what Democrats do.

We need Republicans to stop coming up with new plans and compromises and to recognize that there is only one thing they can do with only Republican House votes: defeat any increase in the debt limit.

"Cut, Cap and Balance" is a nice plan.

But it requires the support of Democrats and Obama.

Freezing the debt limit does not.

Do you want to cut spending this year — dramatically?

Do you want to take the first step since the Reagan administration toward constitutionally limited government?

Do you want to end those infuriatingly wasteful and counterproductive federal programs immediately?

There's only one way to do it: Freeze the debt limit.

Not only should Republicans do it; it's time for them to let Democrats know it's coming. As a warm-up act, Republicans should pass legislation requiring Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to pay the interest on the debt before paying any other bills. That legislation should also stipulate that Social Security checks go out without interruption and that active-duty military personnel are paid their wages. Period. End of story.

Bills like that, passed with or without the help of Democrats, will demonstrate to the American people who is actually on their side. If Obama and the Democrats want to destroy the country's credit rating and hurt the nation's elderly and military service people, we will see it by their votes of record.

Republicans have to stop acting like they don't have power. They do. They control the House. Unless the House votes in favor of raising the debt limit, it will remain right where it is.

Don't let them buffalo you.

Turn up the heat!

Tell them nothing short of freezing borrowing and freezing taxes is acceptable to you.

You have a voice — through the "No More Red Ink" campaign.

Make history. The time is now. Tell talk-show hosts about the campaign. Post it on your blogs and Facebook pages. Spread the word.

I believe if we send another 1 million letters, they will get the message loud and clear.

But act quickly! Without your action now, we're just days away from betrayal.

To find out more about Joseph Farah and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.