Tea party founder takes it to House

Despite founding a local branch of the Tea Party — an organization that claims no political affiliations — Mike Wilson has joined the Republicans for his political debut.

The event, which was open to the public and hosted by the University of Cincinnati chapter of the Young Americans for Liberty, gave Wilson a platform to discuss his reasons for starting the branch and to talk about the group’s message.

“I really just decided I had to do something,” Wilson said. “Our message from the beginning was to empower people to get involved and make a difference.”

The movement is about making an impact on the political stage by promoting the groups’ core principles: fiscal responsibility, limited government and free markets, Wilson said.

Wilson is currently running as a Republican candidate for the Ohio Representative ballot of the Ohio House 28th district, which includes Blue Ash, Forest Park, Reading and Montgomery.

“I was excited by the number of people who attended the event,” said Chris Morbitzer,
president of the UC chapter of the Young Americans for Liberty. “It was great to have a crowd come out to hear Mike Wilson talk about how he got involved with the liberty
movement and started the Cincinnati Tea Party organization.”

Wilson, who is a UC alumnus, founded the Cincinnati Tea Party in 2009 as a non-partisan organization after being inspired by an anti-stimulus protest. Last March, the Cincinnati Tea Party held a citywide anti-tax rally attracting approximately 5,000 people.

With restoring fiscal responsibility as one of its core principles, Wilson and the Tea Party believe the government should be limited in what measures it can take when dealing with
the nation’s economy.

“I don’t think it’s all that difficult to say that the government shouldn’t spend more than it takes in,” Wilson said.

At the state level, Wilson said Ohioans need to look at spending across the board and slowly wean off the federal government when it comes to stimulus handouts.

Wilson also supports the recent efforts within the Buckeye state to eventually phase out Ohio’s income tax.

“If we want to change things, we have to change the people,” Wilson said. “I really think that for the first time in my life we have the opportunity to move the ball back in the direction of liberty.”

Wilson credits policies of both Democrats and Republicans for a massive growth in government bureaucracy.

Connie Pillich, a Democrat and current 28th district representative, began her first term
in 2009.

“It’s not enough for me to just go out and vote anymore,” said Wilson about his motivations to seek political office.