When loyal Americans gathered in 1776 to demand a government that was responsive to the citizenry, they were called Patriots. Today, when loyal Americans gather to demand that their government be responsive to their wishes, they are called “crazies” or worse. The Tea Party movement has galvanized millions of Americans but it has also galvanized a small but powerful group of government and media representatives that demonize average citizens who just want their government to listen to their desires and stop interfering in their lives.

On The Neal Asbury Show, I recently had as a guest Andrew Langer, President of the Institute for Liberty, an advocacy organization dedicated to “fighting the petty tyrannies of government and protecting America’s right to be free.” Langer’s group was one of the original supporters of the Tea Party movement.

Langer pointed out the reason that the Tea Party movement has drawn such ire is “The mainstream press likes to put things in boxes. But the Tea Party movement does not fit in any of their boxes. They cannot define it so they dismiss it.”

He really put his finger on the root cause of much of the anti-Tea Party demagoguery coming out of the Washington and New York elitist circles. This administration has a troubling tendency to dismiss anything and anyone that does not support its policies. But this repudiates the tenets of the Constitution that provides for the rights of Americans to speak out freely when they do not like the direction their country is headed.

And just what “crazy” things does the Tea Party movement want? They want to stop out-of-control spending that will push the burden of today’s sky rocketing deficits onto future generations. Is that the legacy we want to leave our children and grandchildren? If that’s crazy, then we are all crazy.

The other big impetus for the Tea Party movement is to reduce the size of the government and stop its intrusive interference in our lives. Is it crazy to ask that the government not get between our physicians and our healthcare needs so that bureaucrats are not making decisions about the medical procedures we may need? Is it crazy to ask that the government not take over the energy industry through its proposed Cap and Trade legislation that will result in a significant financial burden to every American household and business? Is it crazy to expect the government to stop creating “vapor paper”- printing trillions of dollars of worthless money to fund our deficits? Is it crazy to stop the government from eliminating the secret ballot when it comes to unionization? What is crazy is that this administration does not take the demands of the Tea Party movement seriously or listen to their voices.

But while the administration is attempting to sandbag the Tea Baggers, guess what is really happening. The Democrats are sandbagging their electability in the mid-term elections. The result? The “crazies” will be running the asylum. And that will be good for all of us!