Recently, along with some of the other organizers of our local Tea Party, I was invited to participate in a radio interview in which we could submit 10 possible questions to be asked. What a rare opportunity!
Additionally, we were interviewed in a round-table fashion. And, we accepted call-ins. Patrick Munro of Northstar Financial Advisors was pleasantly supportive of our efforts as the inevitable tax increases from the unrelenting big spending in DC impacts his clients.
The following is my list of questions and possible answers. Actually, the answers were too long for a quick interview. Anyway, I’m posting this on the blog because it may offer some small smattering of assistance to others in a similar circumstance and/or to those who simply want to reflect on their recent Tea Party.
Q1. How did these recent Tea Parties get started?
These current rallies began with bloggers in Seattle, WA, who organized a demonstration on February 16. Word spread quickly with protests in Denver and Mesa, AZ spontaneously organized for the next day. Then on CNBC (February 19), Rick Santelli called for a “Chicago Tea Party” on July Fourth.
Many folks, however, didn’t want to wait that long to express their anger toward trillion dollar budgets, 10 trillion dollar deficits, ever-expanding government, and the inevitable, massive tax increases to pay for it all. A few dozen more rallies were held in March.
Then … without any involvement from any political party or any central authority, Tea Parties began to organize for Tax Day through word-of-mouth and Internet communication.
Q2. Are these current Tea Party protests partisan in nature?
There are many folks across our great nation who are fed up. These protests are representative of a large segment of our population who have, in fact, been the silent majority. We are no longer silent. We SHALL be heard.
If you are a politician who voted for these bailouts and earmarks, consider these Tea Parties YOUR going away party.
Q3. What sort of folks attended your Tea Party?
Q4. How were these protests organized and coordinated
across the nation?
There was no central organization … there was no authority by a political party … there was no leadership by a television network. We are the very beginning of grassroots movement. We organized SOLELY through word-of-mouth and Internet communication. TaxDayTeaParty.com and TeaPartyDay.com helped organizers and protesters connect through a social network.
Q5. Why did you get involved?
Plus, the unrelenting onslaught of enormous bailouts coupled with countless earmarks will surely lead to massive tax increases. The federal tax rate on income is only one of many taxes that are on the rise. In the midst of a global recession, we, the people, are suffering a series of increases in property taxes, tobacco taxes, sales taxes, energy taxes, and so on.
Who among us could possibly be in favor of temporarily getting 10 to 12 dollars back per week in our paychecks when each and every household will be paying $100 to $150 a month more on our power bills as a deliberate consequence of the upcoming ‘cap-and-trade’ energy taxes?
In recent months, most retired and retiring Americans have seen their nest eggs and investments dwindle to dangerously low amounts. Our senior citizens may be suffering the most … all the while …. witnessing their taxes continue to rise … their medical costs skyrocket … and, worrying that their children and grand-children will be burdened by massive tax increases to pay for these ridiculously enormous and economically unsound bailouts and earmarks.
I have not been a political activist. I am just a common American; one who believes in representative democracy, prosperity through capitalism, and self-reliance. Like millions of others, I feel that I have to make a contribution, however minor that may be, to help put our nation back on the path that our founding fathers intended.
Q6. What do you hope these rallies will accomplish?
Q7. When you bandy about terms like socialistic fascism,
what do you mean?
Fascism uses a central authority to maintain control of society, but “fear-mongering and censorship” are common strategies. Fascists openly praise free markets, but actually work to take control of business after business in order to control the population. It is forced upon citizens from economic failure in democratic political systems.
While socialists tend to be left-wing, fascists come from both the left and right ends of the political spectrum. Does any of this sound familiar?
Today, we’re rapidly being transitioned into an Americanized merger of these two systems which some are starting to call ‘socialistic fascism’.
Thomas Jefferson, our 3rd President and the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, said “When governments fear the people there is liberty. When the people fear the government there is tyranny.”
Q8. Do you believe the goals of these protests will be
achieved?
The news has been covering the pirates in Somalia lately. What we’re concerned about are the pirates in our nation’s capital.
In the “Tax Day Battle of 2009”, we have succeeded in garnering the attention of some politicians. Patriotic Americans in cities large and small across our great nation have come together overcoming partisan differences and without ANY central organizational authority … to speak with ONE voice … “We’ve Had Enough”.
This is just the beginning.
Q9. Do you have a count of how many attended the
Myrtle Beach Tea Party?
Q10. Do you believe the local Tea Party received fair coverage
by the press?
Some in the national media have ludicrously painted these protests with partisan brushes while erroneously claiming the participants are angry over a lost election. Frankly, there are some people in our country who are drinking Kool-Aid. But, our organizers and protesters are drinking the TEA.
WRNN, 99.5, graciously interviewed us for an announcement of the upcoming event.
Before and during the event, several local TV stations reported our rally in Chapin Park. These include WJBF 6, WMBF 10, WBTW 13, and WFXB 43.
After the event, the front page of the Sun News was almost entirely devoted to our local protest and to the national movement.
Q11. Do you have any closing thoughts about the
Tea Parties … that we haven’t discussed?
To my fellow organizers … and especially to our team leader, Stephen Aldrich … it has been a deep honor and sincere privilege to serve with you in setting up our first Tea Party protest. You are GREAT Americans.
To our local media … thank you for your fair and balanced coverage.
To you, Patrick, and to WRNN … thank you for your professional courtesy and air time generosity.
Thank you ALL !!!
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This entry was posted by LukeAmerica2020 on Friday; April 17th, 2009 at 2:00 pm and is filed under Politics, Socialism, Tea Parties, Tea Party.
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Tags: Bailouts, economy, Protest, rally, retirement, Revolt, Tax Day Tea Parties, taxation, Taxes, Tea Parties, Tea Party.
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Spoken like a true patriot. Any interest in running for president. You would have my vote.
Eddie: Fellow patriot, you are very kind. Thank you.
The principals and philosophies that have made our great nation a beacon of hope to the entire world have been under attack by enemies from within for some time now. Our democratic republic, the prosperity of capitalism, and the virtues of self-reliance are suffering at the hands of these traitors and indirectly as a result of political apathy.
But, today, there are many of us who are beginning to stand up and to speak out. The silent majority are silent no longer.
[...] LukeAmerica2020 created an interesting post today on Tax Day Battle of 2009 « LukeAmerica2020Here’s a short outlineSocialism is an economic system in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively by or centralized by a government that plans and controls the economy. Fascism uses a central authority to maintain control of … [...]
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