College Republicans organize Tax Day Tea Party
The event was modeled after the Boston Tea Party of 1773.
Published April 17, 2009
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Protester Dave Clark stands with a sign directly in front of Rep. J.C. Kuessner, D-Eminence, as he address a crowd on the Capitol steps at a 'tea party' Wednesday in Jefferson City. Clark, the only Democrat to speak at the rally against government taxation, was booed off the stage after four minutes.
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An unidentified protestor holds an American flag Wednesday during a "tea party" protest at the Capitol in Jefferson City.
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Rep. Chuck Gatschenberger, R-Warren, speaks on the Capitol steps during Wednesday's protest. Similar protests against taxation and government spending were held in more than 300 cities.
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Many people at the rally felt the federal government and Congress abused their power when drafting the economic stimulus package.
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The rally, organized by Mizzou College Republicans, was billed as "nonpartisan" but almost all attendees and all but one speaker were conservative.
While many Americans hurried to finish filling out tax forms, others gathered in locations across the country to protest increased government spending.
The protests, called Tax Day Tea Parties, were held across the U.S. in the spirit of the 1773 Boston Tea Party, when colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor to protest the British attempt to tax the colonies without representation in parliament.
On the steps of the Capitol in Jefferson City, nearly 200 demonstrators gathered to voice their opinions and listen to state representatives and other speakers from across Missouri.
Rep. Jerry Nolte, R-Gladstone, said the feelings in the U.S. now are similar to those surrounding the original Boston Tea Party.
"One of the things that just strikes me as insane is what is going on in Washington right now," Notle said. "It's one of those situations I would never have dreamed we'd be in. The idea of a tea party does take you back to December of 1773, where the people had had enough, and I think the people have had enough right now."
Rep. Cynthia Davis, R-O'Fallon, also talked about government spending and she said the Democrats, or as she described them, "the tax and spend party," places too much importance on government and she said government's job was not to help those in need.
"They whip out their Bibles and they talk about how it's our job to be compassionate and it says so in the Bible," Davis said. "What they're leaving out is that that's our job to be compassionate, not government's job. You know what, it's the job of government to administer justice, it's the job of charities and churches and non-profits to administer mercy."
Brett Dinkins, MU College Republicans chairman and co-organizer of the event, said the protest was about more than just taxes and government spending.
"This day is more than just about the spending," Dinkins said. "It's about the taxes and everything like that. But what it really comes down to for me is letting the government know that we do still have our rights to protest, we still have our rights to stand up."
Despite claims that the event was nonpartisan, a strong conservative sentiment prevailed in the crowd.
Rep. J. C. Kuessner, D-Eminence, who was invited to the event, discovered this shortly after he began speaking.
Throughout his remarks a chorus of boos, along with interspersed cries of "Communist" could be heard. At one point a protester, who declined to give his name, stood less than a foot away Kuessner, pounded his fist on the podium he was using and yelled into his face.
In an interview after the event, Kuessner said the reception he received did not bother him.
"I understand their heartache," Kuessner said. "I understand their concern. I think when you have an opportunity for people to voice their opinion, even when you are speaking, then you have a true democracy."
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