When I listen to the Tea Party tax protesters, I hear that they're mad as hell. They're angry about deficit spending, and they believe that government is undermining free enterprise for the benefit of international elites.

But where were they just 18 months ago? These trends were all developing during the George W. Bush years. What suddenly sent the Tea Party protesters to town hall meetings last summer and to Washington in the fall?

It was our worsening economy. And I place part of the blame for our economic problems on conglomerates, especially banks, that are too big and doing too little to provide credit and capital to businesses to create good jobs in America.

Tea Party protesters are average Americans who are paying the price for the unrestrained power of...