Thousands Attend Tax ‘Tea Parties’
Protests Scattered Throughout Central Fla.
POSTED: Wednesday, April 15, 2009
UPDATED: 5:17 pm EDT April 15, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. — Protesters around the country and here in Central Florida are gearing up to rally against tax day with “tea parties.”
Organizers said they’re steamed at government spending since President Barack Obama’s administration took over and are planning their own mini-revolts. The rallies are designed to echo the original Boston Tea Party more than 235 years ago.
Hundreds of people gathered in Ferran Park in downtown Eustis. In Viera, protestors gathered on a street corner.
The largest rally so far has been at the Deland City Hall, where thousands of people are protesting taxes and big government.
“This is in conjunction with 500 other tea parties around the country. Unless we slow the growth we will not recognize the America you are living in today,” Orlando rally organizer Rick Richbourg said.
Richbourg said Americans are paying too much in taxes for too many empty promises.
“The timing is self-evident. Let the government know about the course the government is on,” Richbourg said.
About 6,000 Central Floridians turned out for a similar rally in March.
Demonstrators said they hope media coverage will be enough to get their message through to Washington.
The demonstrations are being held everywhere from Kentucky, which just passed tax increases on cigarettes and alcohol, to South Carolina, where the governor has repeatedly criticized the stimulus package. Large protests also are expected in California, New York and Atlanta.
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