I dig the irony of tax protesters using a public park.

Posted by htucker on April 15, 2009 at 2:41 PM Suggest Removal

Welcome to the Million Moron March

Posted by Exbricklayer on April 15, 2009 at 4:44 PM Suggest Removal

No taxation without representation!! Oh wait a minute, didn't we just had an election in which the people voted overwhelmingly one way? And that way wasn't libertarian or Republican if memory serves.

Posted by Steve1us on April 15, 2009 at 4:51 PM Suggest Removal

The people who voted for our wonderful new president want the government to take care of them. The people attending the tea parties are the people who do not.

Posted by shelleyfried on April 15, 2009 at 5:16 PM Suggest Removal

You have to wonder why these people weren't out protesting as the Bush administration spent billions on an unnecessary and failed war.

Posted by Lola on April 15, 2009 at 5:24 PM Suggest Removal

Realize one thing: The point of this thing was to bash Obama.

Everything else was secondary.

Posted by Wenalway on April 15, 2009 at 5:48 PM Suggest Removal

Many of the people present today at the rally did indeed protest the unnecessary spending by previous administrations. Many of the people attending this rally also have defended this nation in various wars. I would not consider this crowd to be morons (exbricklayer), Obama bashers (Wenalway), or those who do not participate in the electoral process (Steve1us). The key to understanding what this rally is about is to educate yourself regarding the present and future debt that this country has already assumed and will assume if citizens do not make themselves heard regarding the taxes that have been imposed and are proposed. Do not judge the people participating in the rally until you have learned the facts from reliable sources.

Posted by OfSaneMind on April 15, 2009 at 6:29 PM Suggest Removal

If you would like to debate instead of assuming or accusing us unfairly please e-mail me @ april15teaparty@gmail.com or be immature and spam me.

It wasn't perfect but this event is about the citizens! You too are a citizen and are welcome to voice your opinion as long as you realize yours is not undeniably the right and only one. I've surprised more than one liberal by not bashing their opinions.

Posted by HalfCuriosity on April 15, 2009 at 6:41 PM Suggest Removal

One of the speakers attacked the "Democrat" party, said the government was coming after him, and called Obama a socialist. He then said his new motto is "live free or die hard." Next, one of the organizers got up to speak and liked the motto so much that he exhorted the crowd to start chanting it as well.

Make no mistake, the purpose of this event was to trash Obama and Democrats in general.

Posted by greenroom on April 15, 2009 at 7:23 PM Suggest Removal

If Democrates weren't the hard tax and spend folks they are, then maybe they would not need to be trashed.

Posted by rudnicke on April 15, 2009 at 9:32 PM Suggest Removal

A college student (who likely does not pay taxes) helps to organize a rally protesting taxes following the largest middle-class tax cut in US History (with the rich slated to pay at the same rate they paid at the end of Reagan's first term...and still only about half of that they paid during the Nixon administration)?

Revolting, indeed.

And, for the record, GWB was by far and away the most egregious tax-and-spender in the history of the US. He just cut the taxes to the rich, put the burden on the working class and dug an immense hole which our grandchildren's grandchildren will still be paying off.

I would "educate" myself more on this subject, however, unlike those with time to listen to Rush Limbaugh, I actually have a job (and pay taxes to support the general welfare of those with time to "protest" on a Wednesday afternoon.

Posted by DonGerard on April 15, 2009 at 9:56 PM Suggest Removal

If George W. Bush wasn't the tax-and-spend yokel he was, then maybe he would not need to be trashed.

Posted by Wenalway on April 15, 2009 at 9:56 PM Suggest Removal

Excellent timing, DonGerard.

Posted by Wenalway on April 15, 2009 at 9:58 PM Suggest Removal

Tax and spenders are in both parties. They do it because they rightfully believe that is the way to get re-elected.

There was a girl at today's party with a sign that read, "I am $36,000 in debt and I am only 13." When should she start protesting her government?

The older I get the more libertarian I become.

Please, government, stay out of my pocket, let me live my own life and deal with the results on my own. That's what "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" means.

Posted by twj on April 15, 2009 at 10:26 PM Suggest Removal

sigh. dongerard. if booosh was the most egregious tax and spender of all time, please explain how the trillions of dollars of debt fearless leader is racking up is improving the situation?

oh, did somebody criticize the chosen one? that's too bad. i sat thru eight years of histrionics from some of you yokels over the last President. so get over it. we still have freedom of expression, for the moment.

a failed war? you mean the one we won in Iraq? and war is good now right that the current administration increases troops in Afghanistan and bombs Pakistan on a whim? probably not adding to the debt right folks? those obamabombs are free! he is magical!

the vote was not that overwhelming, and polls show the country remains split. people do currently like President Obama but give them time and they will wise up.

or they will be like the tired old lefty trolls whining about George Bush, trying to shut down conservative voices and just generally acting like the brain dead thought police a socialist state demands.

oh and DG, you can catch Rush and others on podcasts. we all have to work, at least those not yet out of a job, to pay for the goodies the messiah is intent on delivering.

sorry the panderer and his platitudes will have opposition and we will be heard. deal with it!

Posted by zeke on April 15, 2009 at 11:11 PM Suggest Removal

Cut the ability to tax and you cut the ability to support a standing military. Cut the ability to support a standing military, you cut the ability to wage an offensive war. Cut the ability to wage an offensive war, and you cut the ability to generate fear and "support our troops" mentality. As fear is a major tool of the politician, you cut this and you free your mind... What we spend on the Department of War and its supporting agencies amounts to a bailout-sized chunk each and every year!

Posted by dw on April 15, 2009 at 11:32 PM Suggest Removal

Can anyone explain what "We need no tax, like it was in 1913" means? Maybe Mr. Stufflebeam is just horribly misquoted or taken out of context, but it makes it sound like he thinks we didn't have taxes back then.

And yeah, the irony of people protesting taxes in a public park is pretty striking. Much like the fact that all of the people quoted here are from towns outside of Champaign, which means they had to drive on roads (provided by the same tax dollars) to get there.

True, I wasn't there, but from what's quoted here, I'm having a hard time figuring out what the people at this rally are asking for. If one doesn't approve of the current administration, how is getting rid of taxes going to fix anything? I guess Socialism (in the sense that these people feel they are being overtaxed) is such a scary concept, the exact opposite (having no taxes) is appealing?

If the rally is truly about bashing the Obama administration, fair enough, I think that's allowed. But if it's not, what is it exactly? The things people are protesting here are things that have always been there.

And last I checked we still have not won the war in Iraq.

Posted by rookieoftheyear on April 15, 2009 at 11:41 PM Suggest Removal

zeke,

That's quite a persecution complex you've got there. Who exactly do you think is trying to stifle your right to speak your mind?

And also, why exactly do you think Obama is a socialist?

Posted by greenroom on April 15, 2009 at 11:44 PM Suggest Removal

Whose responsibility is it to take care of that park? The federal government?

I do believe the town should have that responsibility. Who should pay for it? Someone in Alabama? Or the citizens of that town?

Whose responsibility is it to maintain and repair those streets? Washington?

The town again, and occasionally the State DOD.

I won't lie I don't like Obama's politics but he is nothing new except more openly left winged.

Taxing people more in hard times? Has been done before (The Great Depression)

Calling for more government oversight? Yep.

Tell me the federal government is not telling the states how to do things like how to spend their money, how much of their citizens tax money they get, what to regulate, what they are allowed to portray as a community? (I'm talking gay rights and abortion issues) And that the constitution doesn't give the power to the states for all of that and expressively(?) limits the power and influence of the federal government? Tell me they aren't trying to 'equal the playing field' financially?

Prove to me that the Federal government is not overstepping their boundaries; please??

Posted by HalfCuriosity on April 16, 2009 at 7:27 AM Suggest Removal

And by the way, Income taxes were collected once before 1913 to pay for the civil war. Those were 3% up to 10,000 and 5% after that.

Then in 1913 the government started to decline; people started giving up their rights because they were scared. Makes since, since war is scary and they were in the worst of it.

Go ahead look up the history of Income Taxes then tell me the Government NEEDS them. They survived without them for 100 years(with one exception)

Posted by HalfCuriosity on April 16, 2009 at 7:37 AM Suggest Removal

Has anyone read one of the latest taxes from the state of Illinois? The "Use Tax"? At the opening of the explanation on page two it reads:

"A use tax is a tax upon the privilege of using tangible personal property in Illinois."

http://www.revenue.state.il.us/taxforms/Sales/ST-44.pdf

The privilege. That's how all of our activities are viewed by the state. The emphasis is on privilege rather than personal property, how can it be property if its a privilege to use it? And this is the key to all taxes. They own you. No? Try not paying. Just once, try it. It's no longer Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness; it's Privilege. It's no longer endowed by God, it's doled out by Nanny. It's a privilege to work, a privilege to occupy land, a privilege to eat, a privilege to live. Tell me then, who gave the state the privilege? Who is holding its strings? Don't think for a second that it's you and I.

Posted by jdmac44 on April 16, 2009 at 9:09 AM Suggest Removal

I applaud the tea party participants. Peaceful, reasonable, non-hysterical demonstration is something unknown to democrats.

They believe any dissent from their opinion is vile and unjust. The local media, as demonstrated in this article, follow the usual liberal talking points by using derisive, inaccurate representations of the event.

This same media covered every minor, hysterical and violent, small group that protested the prior administration, as though they undertaking heroic efforts.

The tea parties were about massive pork spending which will cause debt beyond our wildest dreams and lead to oppressive taxes for generations. While the spending started in the previous administration, in less than 100 days the Obama administration has multiplied the deficit and debt that he whines about inheriting, many times over.

This is Obama's economy now. He has multiplied over and over the debt, deficit, and his own congressional budget office deemed his faux stimulus package as being less than 1/3 stimulus, the rest being pork and kickbacks, and payoffs to special interests such as Acorn and Unions), the budget office (director hired by Pelosi) also claimed that the faux stimulus would do more harm to the economy than good.

In the meantime the same Congressional budget office scored the republican stimulus as creating twice as many jobs and costing half as much as the Obama/Pelosi/Reid Porkulus plan.

As usual the liberal media, including the NewsGazette, neglected to give that the attention it deserved.

This is what the tea parties are about, excessive patronage spending and thuggish chicago political kickbacks.

I would suggest any of the few with a news gazette subscription to cancel those and boycott the paper until it covers the entire C-U community sans the squelch free speech if it isn't a democrat opinion bias.

Posted by MNM on April 16, 2009 at 9:12 AM Suggest Removal

Actually, MNM, I was in downtown Champaign two weeks ago and witnessed a peaceful antiwar demonstration. It was smallish, so perhaps it didn't get the news coverage the noisier, more extreme demonstrations get, but peaceful demonstration is certainly known to Democrats. Maybe you should get out more?

Posted by rookieoftheyear on April 16, 2009 at 9:45 AM Suggest Removal

I really wish people could have a real discussion without debating liberal vs Republican. The basic point of the protest is the current taxation system. Some of you can debate rich and poor all you want but the simple fact is the the middle class is the one that is going to suffer the most.

At the end of the day the debt is going to grow on EVERYONE who pays taxes as going to see a large increase in there taxes!

Posted by commonsense54 on April 16, 2009 at 9:50 AM Suggest Removal

As the speakers at the event and the comments on this thread demonstrate, this is a right wing Republican movement whose main purpose is to bash Obama and all Democrats. That's fine.

Despite the hysterics of some on this thread and many at the protest, no one is trying to shut them down.

It is quite ironic that they, like all the tea bag protesters, use public facilities to protest taxes. Federal money does in fact help pay for the parks and the local roads. Perhaps the tax protesters can put their money where their mouths are and boycott all public facilities.

Also, they should get the facts straight at the very least. Every one making less than a quarter of a million dollars a year is paying less in taxes than they did going back to the Nixon administration. Are they going to call Bush, Reagan and Nixon socialists?

No. Of course not. They only call Democrats socialists. They didn't wave their tea bags when Bush squandered the surplus and drove up record deficits.

Again, they only protest Democrats. Right wing Republicans can do anything and these "patriots" will stay silent.

Posted by greenroom on April 16, 2009 at 9:52 AM Suggest Removal

greenroom you obviously have not been reading these posts very carefully.

Posted by chieffan on April 16, 2009 at 10:46 AM Suggest Removal

I also notice greenroom that you did not respond to zeke's query as to how the trillons of dollars of debt we are racking up since Obama became president is solving the problem? and what is your obsession with socialism?

MNM: I agree that the coverage of this event was appalling not only by the n-g but by local TV. barely a blip on the screen. however, unsubscribing from the n-g is not the answer and, by the way, it tends to lean right far more than it leans left.

Posted by chieffan on April 16, 2009 at 10:50 AM Suggest Removal

MNM - if I boycott the paper how will I know when they cover something?

Posted by htucker on April 16, 2009 at 11:05 AM Suggest Removal

"by the way, it tends to lean right far more than it leans left."

It tends to lead more toward nonsense than anything else. Printing the rantings of a health-care shill as facts was the act of a seriously challengeed news source.

Posted by Wenalway on April 16, 2009 at 11:35 AM Suggest Removal

We obviously need to increase taxes. This "movement" is pretty stark evidence of our failing education system.

Posted by mattstan on April 16, 2009 at 11:41 AM Suggest Removal

I have no problem protesting the way taxes are spent. I do have a problem with the way these protests are being organized and characterized. These "tea parties" are being pushed by partisan interest groups and sold through FoxNews and talk radio. The whole thing about "taxing those who make it to give to those who don't" is a load of crap. Most of our tax dollars go to corporate welfare and bailing out bigshots. Money is being sucked out of this country from the top. Check out the "L-curve" if you don't believe that. The only thing working in this country is the "divide and conquer" strategy employed by the left vs. right crowd. The sooner we all get on the same page, the better. I just don't know when the News Gazette is going to get on the side of people and off the side of moneyed interests.

Posted by BillD on April 16, 2009 at 12:20 PM Suggest Removal

It's interesting to note that the taxes that these patriots were protesting (paid yesterday, April 15, 2009) were for 2008 when Bush was president. They're HIS taxes at his tax rates.

NEXT April 15, these same patriots will be paying Obama's taxes, and all but a few of them will be paying LESS money than they paid under Bush, thanks to Obama making the largest middle class tax cuts in history.

These Obama-bashing patriots really need to get a grip on reality -- maybe study a little economics?

Posted by Stubear on April 16, 2009 at 2:17 PM Suggest Removal

The Tea Parties were not about political parties. They were about fiscal responsibility. If we ran our families the way the government is run, we would all be thrown into jail for not paying our debts, because we could not print more money, or hold up our employer for more money as the government does. Yes, I said employer. We employ the government. They are in place to "serve the people".

You would not give your child your wallet and tell them to spend all they wanted including maxing out all your credit cards, then turn around and sign up for more credit cards, giving them to your children as well. You would teach your child to spend wisely. To live within his/her means. That is all the Tea Party people want our government to do. To live within their means. They print more money, thereby lowering the value of everyone's assets, and they increase taxes, lowering everyone's assets even more. Get off the political/liberal versus conservative band wagon and just look at the economics. Any person with a bit of intelligence can see our country is heading toward bankruptcy. When we are all being taxed 100%, where will the government go for more money to fund their next project?

Posted by andersdl on April 16, 2009 at 2:22 PM Suggest Removal

"That is all the Tea Party people want our government to do."

And to bash Obama. Actually, primarily to bash Obama.

"Get off the political/liberal versus conservative band wagon and just look at the economics."

Just don't do it during the eight interminable years the conservative was in office.

Posted by Wenalway on April 16, 2009 at 3:53 PM Suggest Removal

I am supposed to give 50% to Washington for total incompetence? I can't explain that to a 10 year old! Why was AIG allowed to grow so big? Should we not learn from this? Our government cant be all things to all people as its financially impossible. America must get back to the basics. What the government should and should not be, what we simply should not support as taxpayers. We are under full financial attack from a monster created by unlimited feeding unchecked for way too long. The great people at the tea party demonstrations realize that we have to protect ourselves, our young and unborn from the monster or it will destroy our quality of life.It is my proud duty stand by these Americans regardless of political affiliation to make sure this goes no further.

JH Arizona

Posted by jhataway on April 16, 2009 at 4:58 PM Suggest Removal

I think its ironic that "public" means "under gov't control".

Posted by navyaq on April 16, 2009 at 5:49 PM Suggest Removal

"The great people at the tea party demonstrations"

I laughed out loud at that.

I respect people who have the conviction to gather in protest of out-of-control government.

But saying: "We want lower taxes" is hardly revolutionary or great, especially when that sentiment is backed with mindless platitudes and history revisionism.

Posted by Wenalway on April 16, 2009 at 9:02 PM Suggest Removal

chieffan,

It would appear that *you* have not been reading the comments. Or listening to the tea bag protesters. They are very much against the Democrats and especially Obama. Many of them even believe the ridiculous conspiracy theories that he is not a citizen and that he is a secret Muslim.

My "obsession" with socialism? Again, you clearly haven't been paying attention. The people at the Westside park tea bag protest, like the tea bag protesters elsewhere, were quite fond of calling Obama and all Democrats socialists.

As for zeke's question about how the recovery will help, it seems obvious that Obama's recovery agenda is far better to the Republicans do-nothing plan. Do you think a Hooverite head in the sand plan is called for?

Of course, if you watch fox "news," you might think Hoover was a genius and that FDR caused the great depression...

Posted by greenroom on April 17, 2009 at 10:27 AM Suggest Removal