Several dozen Hatteras islanders went to a party on Wednesday, April 15, at the new county office building in Frisco.
The lunchtime gathering was a TEA party – as in Taxed Enough Already. It was scheduled for April 15, also known as Tax Day, and was, of course, a symbolic reference to the historic Boston Tea Party.
The Boston Tea Party had a specific focus. American colonists protested taxation without representation by dumping taxed tea from England into the Boston Harbor.
The tea parties that happened all over the country on Wednesday – drawing anywhere from a few dozen to a few thousand people – were apparently an opportunity for partygoers to protest just about everything that is causing them angst these days.
They were billed by organizers as a grassroots effort to protest excessive government spending and historic deficits. However, protesters denounced excessive spending and government bailouts, stimulus money, bonuses for corporate leaders, local taxes, socialism, fascism, immigration, gay marriage, and a host of other issues.
In Frisco, some of the partygoers seized the moment to protest the closures of Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches to protect birds and turtles.
A sampling of signs from Frisco:
• Don’t punish my grandchildren
• TARP- Tax Against Reasonable People
• Smaller Government
• Give back our park
• Stop shredding our Constitution
• Stop spending my hard-earned $
• Stop Economic Child Abuse
• Stop the march to fascism
• Stop the march to socialism
• Put our human health and welfare before wildlife
That pretty well covers the waterfront of all of the things that islanders are concerned about in a time of bad economy, soaring deficits, and, in our case, increased government regulation of access to our beaches.
Looks to me that a lot of folks wanted to let off some steam yesterday about a whole range of issues, and they got the chance to do it. It was a little bit like a national day to protest anything and everything that really bugs you.
I hope that’s a healthy way of dealing with our anxiety about our life and lifestyle and our future.
I also hope that all of the partygoers – in Frisco and elsewhere – are registered voters and vote in every election.
Voting is the best way to have your voice heard and get the attention of your local, state, and federal lawmakers.
And I would be remiss if I did not mention that Johnny Conner and the folks from Conner’s Supermarket brought their cooker to the Frisco party to hand out hot dogs for lunch.
Appropriately, the dogs were all beef, no pork.
Since President Obama’s tax proposal only affects those who net $250,000 a year, I find it shocking that our obviously more privileged residents are blatantly bragging about their income by standing on the side of the road complaining about tax increases while Dare County has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state. Those of us making less than $250,000 a year (and that is most of us) will have no tax increase in his plan! I don’t have a problem with your being wealthy; I just have a problem with your sensitivity to those who are struggling. Now, if those pictured on the side of the road are not making $250,000 a year, then I guess this is just another example of folks letting the likes of Rush Limbaugh do their thinking.
I believe the response comment above by Flabbergasted hit the nail right on the head.
Excuse me but do you really think that persons earning less than $250,000 won?t pay more taxes? I was there and there were few if any there that earn more than $250,000 but we know this we will all have to pay for this unprecedented spending. For example,
The taxes on cigarettes already impossed to pay for the health initiative that provides benefits to the children of illegal alliens.
A Congressional proposal to tax soda pop because it contains sugar and causes obesidy in children. Taxing it pays for the health problems.
Now that carbon dioxide has been officially labeled a polutant, we will be back to the cap and trade issue. If you don?t think cap and trade and green initiatives cost everyone, just look at the 29% increase in utility rates scheduled for May 1.
One last thing, how does anyone expect our economy to thrive when we are paying cap and trade taxes and other countries our not. If you think health care puts us at a competative disadvantage, just wait until cap and trade starts.
And I believe the comments above by Flabergasted and capesurf are excellent examples of ?folks letting the likes of? Nancy Pelosi ?do their thinking? ? God help us!
Ginny is the one who has ?hit the nail right on the head?. Higher taxes on the rich/businesses ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS get passed on to poor folks like Flabergasted, capesurf and me in the price of everything we buy ? businesses pay taxes BUT THEY PAY THEM WITH OUR MONEY paid to them in prices raised to cover the higher taxes ? duh!
Why any reasonable person can?t see this plain fact of economics will have to remain just a mystery of life I guess ? or could it be that one day folks like Flabergasted and capesurf will start thinking for themselves???
FURTHERMORE, we the taxpayers are expected to pay $2.7 TRILLION in taxes in fy2010 under Obama?s budget. Look at it this way ? $2,400,000,000,000 ? that?s $19,200 for every US household! Why isn?t that enough!!! How much more are we going to be expected to pay for ever-expanding, out-of-control, ineffective federal programs! Where is president Obama?s campaign pledge to ?go through the federal budget line-by-line and eliminate wasteful and unnecessary programs?? And, Obama, in his budget, wants to SPEND $3.6 TRILLION!!! ? that?s an OUTRAGEOUS $1.2 TRILLION DEFICIT! It?s insane ? a deficit that is equal to HALF OF TOTAL TAX RECEIPTS!!!
The government already gets $2.4 TRILLION in taxes from us. WHY RAISE TAXES ON ANYONE ? we taxpayers are already doing our part coughing up $2.4 TRILLION. It?s time our elected officials were forced to do their part ? make some incredibly common sense decisions to cut and control the federal budget, eliminating the myriad of out-of-control, inefficient, ineffective and bloated departments, agencies, bureaus, etc. within the Washington maze!
It?s time that ?we the people? really hold all the ?Spendocrats? and ?Respendlicans? accountable ? that is what the TEA parties are all about.
Perhaps, now that you have the facts, Flabergasted, you can think for yourself and figure out what needs to happen in Washington instead of insulting folks who are trying to raise public awareness on these critical issues for ourselves and our great grandchildren.
I forgot, many are already paying higher taxes at the state and local level with many new planned increases in the works. And guess what, state taxes don?t get limited to those earning $250,000.
Now the way it is supposed to work, is that you get local services based upon the taxes you pay. Enter the stimulus bill which sends federal tax dollars to the states. When we pay for this we will, indirectly, paying for services provided to residents in other states. To see how silly this is, consider that you are indirectly paying for California?s extensive services such as free college education without being able to take advantage of the services you are paying for.
If we keep heading down this road, I don?t know where we will end up but it isn?t likely to be the type of country with states rights, local services controlled by local government unit, and federal government limited to national security, infrastucture and other issues with national consequences.