Glendale protester on tax hikes: 'It really aggravated me'

About 250 people gathered in front of City Hall in Glendale today, chanting "We've had enough!" and "No more taxes!" as part of the nationwide Tax Day Tea Party demonstrations against increases in government spending.

"Our message is to repeal the stimulus, lower taxes, have less taxes [and] smaller government," the rally's organizer, Debi Devens, told the crowd.

"Are you ready to take back our nation?" she asked, to resounding applause and cheers of "Yes!"

Devens, who describes herself as a 50-year-old "average American housewife" from La Crescenta, said she began organizing for the rally about three weeks ago after she received an e-mail about the nationwide protests and requests for volunteers.

She said she was spurred to action because she disagreed with some of President Obama's policies toward veterans. She applied for a city permit, e-mailed all of her friends and sent news releases to media outlets across the Southland.

Devens said she also made sure the event was posted on websites run by TV news personalities Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck.

"What's important is that we get the word out that this is a grassroots movement," Devens said. "This is a movement to stop the spending."

The rally began with demonstrators singing the national anthem and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Protesters, who were mostly older and white, carried American flags and signs that read "ATTN: Washington. You have run out of our money," "Taxed Enough Already" and "America, No Left Turn."

Jim Gates, 57, of Sunland carried a sign made out of an old piece of board from his tool shed that read: "Don't Feed The Taxman, He'll Never Go Away." A bag of decaffeinated green tea was attached.

He said he was particularly angry that California had raised the state sales tax.

"It really aggravated me. I think it's counterproductive," he said.

He said he learned about the nationwide protests by listening to late-night talk radio but decided to take part because he felt pundit Keith Olbermann was being "contemptuous of the people that don't agree with" him and the type of people that would take part in today's rallies.

He said he thought to himself: "I'm not going to sit it out. Keith got me here -- thanks, Keith."

Devens asked demonstrators who had brought tea bags to drop them off in a large box that she planned to send to the White House. She also told the crowd to connect with one another and to send a text message to a group that would add them to a listserv about future events.

John Watson, 46, said he attended the rally primarily because he was upset with Gov. Arnold  Schwarzenegger's recent suggestion that he might have to raise taxes. Watson said he believed illegal immigrants were "getting more benefits than American citizens."

"Taxation without representation. The Boston Tea Party is basically where we're at again," said Watson, an electrical contractor from Glendora.

 -- Ari B. Bloomekatz

Comments

[Garry J. Stockdale]

Bush started a war that cost the U. S. over a trillion dollars and increased entitlement benefits and increased the national debt and never raised any taxes. And now, with only five per cent of the tax paying public being asked to pay their fair share, as they did during the Clinton Adminstration, cry baby Republicans bitch. Hubert Hoover tried to address the Great Depression with the same methods so-called "conversatives" are demanding today. They were irresponsible then, and they are now. Where were they when Bush was spending billions of dollars a day on a war that has not made us safe; which has killed over 4,000 Americans so far, along with over a 100,0000 Iraqis? Where was Rush Limbaugh, Gene Beck, Hanenity and the rest of those glorified whiners when we were throwing life and treasure away like trash? I know. They're with the Republians stuck in the 1930s, along with Mr. Hoover, still waiting for the economy to magically repair itself, while the bus of History leaves them behind (again). One other thing, President Regean rised taxes during his second year as president. Was he wrong to do that? What's happening today follows Joseph Goebbels statement on propaganda: "The best propaganda is that which, as it were, works invisibly, penetrates the whole of life without the public having any knowledge of the propandistic initiative."

[Parody & Son]

THE TAXMAN COMETH…
Why just complain about paying taxes when you can SING about complaining about paying taxes?!?
Watch “Goin’ to the C.P.A. (The Tax Song)” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-Groi6Ziio

See more parodies at http://parodyandson.blogspot.com

[Rich]

How many of these people are collecting Social Security? How many went to public K-12 schools? How many went to (subsidized) public universities? How many drove to the tea party on publicly funded and subsidized highways? How many support the military? How many are on Medicare?

Where the hell were all these people when Bush bankrupted our nation? Where were they when the Republicans passed the Medicare prescription drug plan that forced the US to pay full price on name-brand drugs?

And what do these people propose we do to pay off the Bushdebt? We haven't been paying for Iraq and Afghanistan this entire time! In fact, the Republicans gave TAX CUTS during war time!

Where are the damn SOLUTIONS!? All I hear is whining!