Indeed, for nearly a decade, concentration of executive power has threatened America’s system of checks and balances and given the Federal government the authority to spy on citizens, withhold information, and aggressively arrest and even Taser protesters – or to hire private contractors to do so. In these circumstances, the Tea Party activists’ focus on supporting states’ autonomy – and even on property rights and the right to bear arms – can seem like a prescient effort to constrain overweening corporate and military power in national government.
事实上，在将近10年的时间里，行政权力的集中已经威胁到了美国政治制衡系统的运作，并使得联邦政府获得了监控市民、隐瞒信息、肆意逮捕，甚至用新式电磁脉冲枪击瘫示威者（或雇佣私人承包商这样做）的权力。在这种情况下，茶党分子把注意力集中在州的自治权 —— 甚至财产权和拥有武器的权利 —— 是一种具有先见之明的，在联邦政府内部遏制傲慢的大企业和军队影响的举措。