Tea Party: Will you be drinking or dunking?
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/04/15/art.teaparty1.gi.jpg caption="Activists nationwide are holding gatherings on Tax Day, April 15."]WASHINGTON (CNN) – Finger sandwiches won't be served, but there will be a lot of frustration brewing about the current tax system at "Tea Parties" being held Wednesday across the nation.
Activists are holding these events on tax day to voice their opposition to the current tax system and the federal government's spending decisions, such as bailing out the banks and the auto industry.
So, what do you think? Have President Obama and Congress taken the right steps to help the ailing economy? Have Republicans been smart to oppose his fiscal policies? Does the tax code need an overhaul?
Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.
Here are some CNN stories about the nationwide "Tax Day Tea Party":
Activists gear up for national 'Tax Day Tea Party'
GOP uses tax day to raise money
GOP encourages supporters to send virtual tea bags to top Dems
Listen: CNN Radio analyzes the politics of Tax Day
Get your "I Tea Bagged Obama" T-shirt today.
I saw the prince of Saudi wearing one!
Well, what do you expect from a country that originally started off as tax shelter colonies?
SD in Michigan: You hit it on the head.
This is not about paying taxes. It is about how the government spends our taxes. Where does the Constitution state that the government has the right to take money from the tax payer and give it to someone else? The Federal government was established to provide national security, foreign policy, and interstate commerce. 56 million people do not want a government that is the sole provider of health care. 56 million people do not want a government that takes our money and passes it out to those who are irresponsible. We have a patriotic right under the Constitution to protest when we feel our government is wrong. So, the next time you want to protest same sex marriage bans, I am going to call you unpatriotic because you dare question the governments policies.
SlowGun,
I'm all for helping kids. So lets have a Government voucher program so kids, like in D.C, can get a great education, go to college, and grow up not to be poor.
Then we can get rid of welfare. What a concept.
"Where were these people when Bush was doubling our national debt?"
Those that think this is JUST a GOP event are the ones that have been told what to believe by the MSM.
The Bush CRAP (I wish I could say what I really am thinking) and how he messed up the economy IE bailouts, throwing money at the problem etc..
And the Obama CRAP are why I and many of my friends are going and we are all over 40. We disagree on many political issues (many of my friends would never vote for a Republican and DID vote for Obama and many voted for McCain) We are friends and we AGREE this 'crap' has gone too long.
Bush wasn't a Conservative when it came to our economy
All of you who think the will find many GOPers at these events are correct.
All of you who think GOP money funded many of these events are correct.
All of you who think the only people going to these are right wing nutcases ARE ABSOLUTELY WRONG!!!!
Where were we when Bush was doing this??
I was ANGRY when Bush did this.
Why now and not then?
Every one has their breaking point.
This 'crap' stared by the Bush WH and made much WORSE by the current administration HAS TO STOP.
I do not need anyone to tell me what to believe or think. Rush can talk all he wants (I don't listen). I don't watch FOX news much any more (I don't need to I already know what position they take)
I THINK for myself and so do my right leaning and left leaning friends.
I will not TELL any one what to think but give my OPINION.
If you think these (NON VIOLENT) protests are a waste of time then you are NO MORE OR LESS of an American than I. That is your Choice to believe and think what you will.
I wish us all well and do hope the Obama 'fixes' work but I see to much of the same and only the party has changed on this issue.
I have been though to many election cycles and have learned long ago... Its not about a party that I don't trust its those in DC and POLITICIANS.
NOT our GOVT but the persons holding the offices. The system isn't broke its the PEOPLE that has let us down and do it over and over again (much longer than eight years)
Just my opinion.
Arithmatic is liberal –
I appreciate your comments, but your language makes me out to be some neo-con.
Shame on you.
Try going to Campaign for Liberty main website to learn where this started. If Americans were smart, Ron Paul would have been elected.
Time for many of you to learn something about real conservatives and real liberals that care about this nation.
And to those that want a solution:
suck it up and let everything fail. It's the honest way to do it. We will be a better nation in the long run while taking lumps now that go back 40 years or more.
You cannot spend your way out of a spending problem.
You have to understand our future. This nation will default on it's debt or go into massive inflation/hyperinflation.
That's the end game. period. end of story. You cannot argue this.
Fox news seems to have taken down all their live feeds. apparently the low turn out was just embarassing.
TO Mark: Where was your outrage for the past 8 years? Never mind , you were drinkiing the Kool Aid, when you should of been drinking the tea.
I'm a Proud Liberal, who pays more then my fair share of taxes for my fellow Americans.
Leave it to fearful Republicans to come up with another meaningless gimmick that does nothing for anybody and only makes a spectacle and grabs attention. I say, "tax the rich and feed the poor!"
I too am going to protest my lower taxes. Boo... lower taxes. Now, where's my corporate sponsorship again?
The protests are against the irresponsible bail-out happening in DC.
President Obama is quickly becoming known as President B. O. (bend over) ramming more "bail-out" up the American taxpayer's @$$.
As a good friend of mine once said, the masses are axxes. You get the point. I like coffee anyway. This is stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid – you get the point. The point being is that FOX TV is run by a bunch of idiots and people that watch that stuff are idiots. A bunch of sheep led by an ignoramus like Sean Hannity....
I have to agree with the folks that made the connection between Tea party protesters and angry white people.
Clearly they are not protesting taxes as many have pointed out, they are not protesting the bail out as it is the ordinary workers that are the primary beneficiaries of stopping the economic slide.
These “protestors” are repeating whatever really dumb GOP one-liner they happened to hear that day to voice the anger and frustration they feel now that the United States of America is going through a cultural change to where a highly capable black-man could win the Presidency. Also, the recent lay-offs hit white men particularly hard.
The GOP in an effort to galvanize their diminishing base are simply radicalizing angry idiots, which is not likely to help them win elections.
millions of tea bags – they cost money – could think of better ways to spend money and help
Where have these people been for the last 8 years? This is laughable. It was okay when Bush and Cheney were spending, hiding and bullying the American people, I didn't hear one PEEP out of the Republican party for this. Wake up people. At this rate we never will be able to come together. The fat cats keep getting fat and the poor cats keep getting poor. SLEEP WALKING IS DANGEROUS. WAKE UP! WAKE UP! Tea Party, rubbish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What I find most annoying about these teabaggers is their hypocisy.When Bush was spending trillions in Iraq and running up deficits in the process I did not hear anything from these people.I guess it was right for us to run up deficts to build up Iraq but wrong to do that to rebuild our economy. Earth to teabaggers....get a life.
We finally have a glimmer of light and the gop wants to dump tea bags on it- TYPICAL. They seem to forget how we got in this mess! But, that's their M.O.
The US has one of the lowest tax rates in the Western world, and in turn we get great public highways, water sanitation, policeforce, firefighters, a postal service that works faster and cheaper than ANY alternative mail delivery system in the world, and of course the big items such as the best military in the world, social security, and guaranteed, prompt emergency health care as well as a lot of aid for non-emergency healthcare! Guess what, the vast majority of your taxes is already earmarked for all these large, unchanging items, not the small percentage of waste you are griping about. We have the best tax system in the world, the best government in the world, so stop whining!
Wow, you wonder where these folks were 4-6 years ago when Bush was running up the deficit daily!
@slowgun
This is what is wrong with the country. You know nothing about me. You think because I am for the tea parties and to stop this outlandish spending that I don't care about the poor. I can tell you that my family does a great deal to help the poor but one thing different it is not forced upon us! and yes, I do believe America was founded on Christian values. And yes, I do support the war if that is what keeps our country safe. I for one, am proud of our military men and women. I wish only you could be. So think before you judge. You and all the others out there criticizing our rights to speak. I just wish all of us could live in your rainbow world that you think you live in.
This Texas Family will be going to a Tea Party and PROUD we are!
It's time to STOP wasteful government spending and every American should be on board for this one.
Not just this administration, not the administration before this one or past administrations, but all administrations have been guilty of wasteful government spending and it's time to give Congress a wake-up call.
Hypocrites, all of them. The highways they drove into town on? Paid for by taxes. The parks and streets they are assembling on? Paid for by taxes. The Bush war and military spending they were all so gung-ho about for the past 8 years? Majorly funded by taxes.
So now they are protesting Obama, who wants to LOWER taxes for 95% of Americans in a time when money is tight for these families?
These "teabaggers" need to get a grip on reality!
The GOP solutions are as old as their actions – teaparties – from 1773 – just like their solutions – which amount to repeating he same mistakes over and over again! When will people learn – someone has to pay for this country! The GOP is VERY good at NOT paying taxes..
I bet most tea party goers don't even know what a balance sheet look like!. America drifted from the ethos of Capitalism long time ago!!. The well connected brought in Monetarism through the back door!!. They preach capitalism principles during the day but during the night the tune is changed to monetarism while dining with Saudis, Black water, Aramco!, yet Peter the red/black neck still beats his bear chest shouting about taxes, I asked my friend a simple question? what are taxes! instead of giving me an answer he just spewed unprintable profanity on me!!. God Bless America the land of the Red and Blue!, God Bless America so that it won't end like the Soviets!.