TEA protesters rally in New Richmond on Tax Day
About 80 people attended an afternoon TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party rally in New Richmond on Wednesday.
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About 80 people attended an afternoon TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party rally in New Richmond on Wednesday.
The event, coordinated by New Richmond resident Jim Sopland, was one of about 2,000 organized nationwide on tax day (April 15) to protest the rising tax burden placed on people. Prior to the rally, Sopland indicated he was hoping 50 people would show up.
As people gathered in Glover Park in downtown New Richmond, adults and kids displayed handmade signs indicating their discontent over current federal and state spending trends.
Signs included "Gov Gone Wild," Fiscal Responsibility Please," and "Flat Tax Now," among others.
Sopland led he crowd in an occasional chant, "We're TEA'd off, we've been taxed enough already."
Then he provided some information to the crowd about what he sees as government spending spiraling out of control.
Other speakers included local residents Bob Ziller, John Mortensen and Justin Mallmann. While the main topic of the day was taxes, speakers drifted into other public policy concerns such as gun ownership, health care and support for the military.
The national TEA movement behind the April 15 rallies is led by the American Family Association. The organization is working with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s “Renewing American Leadership” effort.
Among the group’s concerns:
• Congress is spending trillions of borrowed dollars, leaving a debt that future generations will have to repay.
• Congress voted for a $500 billion tax bill without even reading the final draft.
• The apparent trend by the federal government of punishing those who practice responsible financial behavior while rewarding those who do not.
• The push to redistribute wealth in the U.S.
American Family Association is a pro-family advocacy organization with more than 2.5 million online supporters.
For more photos and a complete story, see next week's New Richmond News.
Tags: news, local, protest, tea, rally
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