Thoughts on the Tea Party and Channel 14 coverage

http://www.news14.com/Default.aspx?ArID=607841

Two angry wives started our Tax Day Tea Party, at the Market House here in Fayetteville. Angry at the out of control spending that is continuing to take place in D.C., Raleigh, and City Hall. And although the GOP had a group a block away, there weren’t any competitive attitudes between the two “Partys”. Yes, we are conservative but we came together as nonpartisans because WE THE PEOPLE are as varied political wise as the color of our skin.

And although we had a lot of responses we still weren't quite sure how many people would come out. Arriving at the Market House just past 11 am, you could feel the excitement “brewing” in the air. People started showing one by one, and then entire families showed up. Veterans, active duty, and military wives with their children, college age, civilian retirees, folks on lunch break, the crowd was as diverse in age and as it was in race. All four sides of the Market House (its in a turn about downtown) had enough people to circle it, at least 250 in attendance. With about 20 people on each of the corners, o At first the onlookers weren’t quite sure what it was all. Signs like “YOUR PORK BROKE MY PIGGY BANK” “TRICKLE UP POVERTY” “BORN FREE, TAXED TO DEATH” “I AM ONLY 7 YEARS OLD AND I AM ALREADY $80,000 IN DEBT” and the crowds favorite “CUT GOVERNMENT SPENDING, FIRE A POLITICIAN!”

Passerby’s in their cars honking, pumping up the crowd, with several circling the Market House for about 20 minutes at a time. Several of us started to feel like we were on a roller coaster.

Several children in the crowd were asked how they felt not to have a credit card but already $20K in debt. One young man was extremely angry, because even he understood that spending even more couldn’t pay debt down. The money has got to come from somewhere because the United States government doesn’t have money of its own. He understood that they had to take it from someone first, to give it to someone else.
That a turn lane on Skibo Road creates only temporary “work” for a limited amount of people.

There were no signs of ACORN or anyone else trying to disrupt the protest. Only two men driving by were evidently irate, assuming this was an ANTI Obama rally. But they continued on their way. We had no accidents either, even though people were crossing in front of vehicles entering and exiting the turn about.

As the crowd dispersed at the end the sense of accomplishment was evident. Our two party system is broken. And for our voices to be heard, WE THE PEOPLE cannot be the silent majority anymore. All in all, we feel successful in getting the word out. And that this is only the beginning is an understatement.