Date: Fri Apr 30 2004

On The National Tea Party

I spend some time watching a VCR tape titled “The National Tea-Party” by Walter J. Burien, Jr.

Mr. Burien claims to have knowledge of a book keeping method being employed by various states and other government agencies which is being used to funnel public funds into channels hidden from public view. According to Mr. Burien, the motive for this massive laundering operations it to allow public officials and those “connected” to the public troff to derive private profits from personal use of those funds.

Mr. Burien's hypothesis breaks down quickly for an obvious reason. In attempting to explain his case, he requires an ever growing population of accountants, public officials, and staff (and all their friends and associates), until he involves so many that I am left without a clear definition of who is involved and who is not. To me, this whole things sounds like democracy in action according to Sobran – that being two lions setting down with a lamb for lunch and voting on what's for dinner. The problem here is, who's the lamb? He has about everyone who is anyone on the take.

If there is any truth to what he is saying, he certainly fails to make any case. His whole story is so wild it's difficult to identify what is being alleged. All I get out of it is speculation of the purist sort and I find it completely devoid of evidence beyond a couple references to some financial reports made by some states agencies. The reports are not shown, just the summations. If Mr. Burien has evidence which he intended to bring to public view, I would think he would have spent the duration of the tape explaining in detail how these tabulations were reached and exactly how a fraud was being perpetrated. He does nothing of the sort. I must conclude there is nothing in what he is saying.

I don't regard Walter J. Burien as credible and will waste no more time investigating.

-- Tom