by Jim Meyers and Ashley Martella – Newsmax.com
West, who was elected in 2010, is a member of the House Tea Party Caucus and the only Republican member of the Congressional Black Caucus. He served more than 20 years in the U.S. Army and achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel before retiring in 2004.
In the exclusive interview with Newsmax.TV, West expressed sharp criticism of the Occupy Wall Street protests in Manhattan and elsewhere.
“I think the hypocrisy of this movement is somewhat laughable,” he declares. “I would agree with them that we don’t need to have crony capitalism in the United States of America, where we have government picking winners or losers in the free market or trying to be a venture capitalist. But when I see signs that these people are holding up signs saying ‘end capitalism,’ then my question is: What do you replace it with?
“I think there is a danger in the people on Capitol Hill starting to embrace this movement, especially now that we know that the American Nazi Party and the American Communist Party are also starting to align themselves with this Occupy movement.
“When you really start to peel the onion back and look at some of the things these protesters want to see in America, it is contradictory to the foundational principles and values that we have in the United States.
“If they want to see more bureaucracy and a larger government, then more of them are going to be unemployed because bigger government means higher taxation. Maybe that’s what they want. But they’re going to see less and less of their individual rights and freedoms.”
Rep. West dismissed assertions that the Occupy Wall Street movement is the tea party of the left.
WATCH THE EXCLUSIVE VIDEO HERE AND FINISH THE REST OF THE ARTICLE : Newsmax.com
Allen West Republic 