Had it with either or even
both of the traditional political parties? Feeling the nation
has drifted far afield from the intent of the U.S.
Constitution?
If so, Corridor resident Harry Cavanagh has a party for
you.
“It’s a new party,” Cavanagh said in a recent interview,
“organized last year.” It’s the America First Party and it has
some very definite ideas about how the U.S. ought to change
the way it’s governed. It began in Bolder, Colorado, he said,
and is now organizing in 30 states.
Cavanagh is inviting anyone interested to come to an
informational meeting at Freedom Library on April 3 at 7 p.m.
The emphasis of the party is on following the intent of the
U.S. Constitution as the founders wrote it at the time,
Cavanagh said – and not interpreted as some flexible document
that evolves over time. “That’s not the way its supposed to
be,” he said.
The party has a 23-page platform that includes the vigorous
use of tariffs to turn the trade deficit around and lower
taxes as well as keep industry from going offshore. It
supports the Constitutional Amendment to bear firearms and it
believes in a balanced budget.
It includes tough immigration policies and protected
borders, eventual cut-off of foreign aide to the rest of the
world, a more powerful military with a strong missile defense,
U.S. oil independence, campaign reform, ethics in government,
and adherence to the Constitution as written.
Cavanaugh, who discusses politics good-naturedly, chuckles
and adds the party even advocates making Congressmen do
something they probably have never done – take a class on the
U.S. Constitution and actually read it and the Federalists
Papers that explained it. They would also be required by law
to actually read any bill they filed or voted for, he said,
and they should be limited to one issue per bill.
Cavanaugh is uncomfortable calling his party an
isolationist party in the old sense of the term, but he says
it does want to put American interests before any other.
Pull-out of forces from around the world in places such as
Korea, where the U.S. has had troops for a half a century
would have to be gradual, he concedes, but disengagement and
bringing troops home would be the ultimate goal.
He invites anyone who would like to learn about the party
to come to the meeting. “We dislike both parties, he says,
chuckling, “socialist party A and socialists part B.”
He said the Freedom Library meeting will be only
informational and no one will be asked for money. He said the
state party organizational meeting will be in Orlando this
summer. The library is located on S.W. 95th Street, just off
S.W. 60th Avenue.
The group’s Internet web page is www.americafirstparty.org.
Cavanagh’s phone number is 861-0976.
