Spring Break
G.O.P. and Fox News promote tea parties
Justin Oswald
Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: Editorial/Opinion
04/16/09 - Yesterday, as President Barack Obama described it, was "not exactly everyone's favorite date on the calendar." April 15 is tax day, when money flows out of the taxpayers' hands and into the government's coffers.
Taxes have always been in place to pay for services that benefit the nation: such as infrastructure, education, healthcare and the military. Few would claim that taxes should be abolished completely, but there is a constant argument about how large the role of government should be in redistributing citizens' money.
Yesterday also presented the perfect opportunity for some Americans to protest big government and taxes. The ailing economy and the recent stimulus package fueled protests across the country.
The protests were called tea parties, in memory of the 1773 Boston Tea Party that destroyed tea on a docked ship to express anger toward Britain's tax policies. The 2009 tea parties used TEA as an acronym for Taxed Enough Already.
There is nothing wrong with standing up against your government and its current policies. Sometimes the most patriotic citizens are those that speak out against the government and bring real reform. There is a problem, however, with claiming a protest is a bipartisan effort to decrease taxes when it actually serves as a platform for Republican politicos, and is given frenzied attention by Fox News anchors and commentators.
According to taxdayteaparty.com, the rallies are "where advocates of the free-market system could join in a protest against out of control government spending."
Spencer Ginsburg, a University of Rhode Island student, attended a tea party in Providence, R.I. He and friends estimated a turnout of about 2,500 people throughout the day. Ginsburg, who voted for John McCain in November, went to join opposition against big government.
"The government is over-taxing and it needs to be stopped," Ginsburg said. He described the event as "completely non-partisan, with people from all sides of the political spectrum."
Taxes have always been in place to pay for services that benefit the nation: such as infrastructure, education, healthcare and the military. Few would claim that taxes should be abolished completely, but there is a constant argument about how large the role of government should be in redistributing citizens' money.
Yesterday also presented the perfect opportunity for some Americans to protest big government and taxes. The ailing economy and the recent stimulus package fueled protests across the country.
The protests were called tea parties, in memory of the 1773 Boston Tea Party that destroyed tea on a docked ship to express anger toward Britain's tax policies. The 2009 tea parties used TEA as an acronym for Taxed Enough Already.
There is nothing wrong with standing up against your government and its current policies. Sometimes the most patriotic citizens are those that speak out against the government and bring real reform. There is a problem, however, with claiming a protest is a bipartisan effort to decrease taxes when it actually serves as a platform for Republican politicos, and is given frenzied attention by Fox News anchors and commentators.
According to taxdayteaparty.com, the rallies are "where advocates of the free-market system could join in a protest against out of control government spending."
Spencer Ginsburg, a University of Rhode Island student, attended a tea party in Providence, R.I. He and friends estimated a turnout of about 2,500 people throughout the day. Ginsburg, who voted for John McCain in November, went to join opposition against big government.
"The government is over-taxing and it needs to be stopped," Ginsburg said. He described the event as "completely non-partisan, with people from all sides of the political spectrum."
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