Protesters throw a tea party
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Anne Valliere of Barre joins the 'party in Montpelier Wednesday. Jeb Wallace-Brodeur |
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By DANIEL BARLOW Vermont Press Bureau - Published: April 16, 2009
MONTPELIER – Vermonters fed up with the financial policies of the state and federal government gathered outside the Statehouse Wednesday for an updated version of the Boston Tea Party of 1773.
A crowd of more than 500 people waved signs decrying President Obama's policies as socialism and urging Gov. James Douglas to reject stimulus funding and cut the state budget to match declining revenues.
"A lot of us are just average citizens watching the government spend money like it is going out of style," said TJ Michaels, a talk show host at Barre's WSNO 1450AM, who helped organize the event. "But today we are Vermonters who are fed up; today we are Americans who are fed up."
Protesters gathered up hundreds of tea bags they planned to send to Vermont's congressional delegation – another symbol that harkens back to that key event in the start of the American Revolution.
Joeie Clark of Fairfax collected tea bags with the names and Zip codes of protesteors in large boxes. She said she faxed an image of a tea bag to the White House and Vermont's senators and congressman earlier this month – but never received a response from them.
"Our goal is to get 1,000 tea bags for each member of our delegation in Washington," she said. "It's a statement that we demand a return to fiscal responsibility and we're sick of being taxed."
More than 700 similar protests occurred across the country on Wednesday, the same day federal and state tax filings were due. The events were organized by a coalition of conservative organizations, but the crowd outside of the Statehouse displayed a wide spectrum of opinions of current events.
While Ron Paul supporters discussed less military intervention overseas, a speaker was declaring that the United States is "at war with Islam." Another speaker urged Douglas to put the federal stimulus money directly into the economy as protesters shouted, "Send it back" to Washington.
These protests cut across political and party lines, according to Jessica Brenier, a stay-at-home mother from Barre who organized the Montpelier event. Brenier said she wasn't politically active until discovering the presidential campaign of Paul, a Texas Republican with a libertarian streak, last year.
"When Ron Paul speaks, it has substance," she said. "He's not just saying things to make people feel better."
She since got involved with her county Republican Party and admits that Paul's foreign policy is in conflict with the foreign policy of the mainstream Republican Party during the last eight years.
But she said protesters in Montpelier Wednesday were bonded over their concern that the country's fiscal policies will cause the nation to collapse.
"A lot of us have woken up," Brenier said. "And once you are awake, it's hard to go back to sleep."
Rob Roper, the chairman of the Vermont Republican Party, videotaped part of the protest. He said the event was not officially endorsed by the party, but said he helped generate buzz for it via the organization's Web site.
"I think you're seeing a lot of people rise up to express their frustration," Roper said. "They're frustrated with the government and they're frustrated with the Legislature because they're not capable of living within their means."
Frustration over government economic policies did not begin with the new Obama administration, according to Linus Leavens of South Burlington. He said he has been worried about how government uses his tax dollars since the passage of Act 60, Vermont's former school funding law.
He said he wants to see the abolishment of the U.S. Federal Reserve and for the country to begin pulling back from international monetary and military agreements.
"It's insane to keep printing money as the value of our dollar drops," Leavens said.
Earlier that morning, a handful of Vermonters had a different Tax Day message: We'll pay more to save essential state services.
Members of the Save Our State coalition met at the Vermont Department of Taxes office in Montpelier two hours before the start of the Tea Party Protest as they urged residents to pay a few dollars more to stop cuts to state workers.
Douglas and lawmakers have butted heads over the last several weeks over plans to balance the 2010 state budget and the planned layoffs of more than 300 state employees that are expected to begin this week.
Christopher Curtis, an attorney with Vermont Legal Aid, said that if every Vermonter of modest income promised to pay one or two dollars more a month, no state jobs would need to be cut and all the services could be retained.
"We think Vermonters are willing to pitch in to save essential government services," he said.
Peter Sterling, the executive director of the Vermont Campaign for Health Care Security, said Douglas' budget plan includes raising premiums and co-pays for programs such as Catamount Health – which would hurt residents already struggling.
"This is not the time to throw people off health care when they are losing their jobs," he said. "That's kicking them twice."
Contact Daniel Barlow at Daniel.Barlow@timesargus.com.