Taxed Enough Already

Today is April 15th, a date dreaded by the 50 percent of Americans who pay federal income taxes according to Fox News’ Hannity. Of course, a lot of other news agencies are saying that Hannity is perpetuating false information, because the Tax Policy Center has estimated that only 47 percent of American households pay no federal income taxes. But that just seems like splitting hairs to me, as even the IRS itself promotes rounding up to the nearest whole number when calculating your taxes.

I hate doing taxes. Every year it gets more and more complex. This year I managed to get them done a whole week in advance, versus burning the midnight oil like it seems many of us do. However, I have never been one to line up at the Post Office at midnight because I had to get our return postmarked in time. I find that kind of procrastination leads to a colossal waste of money — tax payer money to be exact. No wonder the United States Postal Service is struggling and wanting to cut its budget by reducing delivery days to five a week instead of the current six. If the government didn’t keep Post Offices open until midnight on April 15th each year to accommodate last minute filers, perhaps they wouldn’t be in that mess. That’s a whole lot of overtime to be paying out every year for perpetual procrastinators. However, it does look like the USPS may finally be ending the practice, as more than 80 percent of us now file online, eliminating the need for late night trips to the Post Office.

Central Valley Tea Party

Speaking of taxes, today Chuck and I drove by a Tax Day Tea Party Rally in the little town of Oakhurst, California in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas after playing in the snow in Yosemite National Park (more on that tomorrow). If you’re not familiar, the T E A in the Tea Party name stands for “Taxed Enough Already”. According to the Tea Party Patriots‘ website, “Last year on April 15th 2009, millions of hardworking Americans stood in unison in over 800 protests around the country. These protests, which became known as the Tax Day Tea Party, expressed real concerns against reckless government spending and spawned millions of Americans to get involved in their local Tea Parties which today are holding elected officials accountable.” This year they were out again. From what we’ve seen of the news today, they were out in force! They certainly were well represented in Oakhurst.

As we drove by these patriots, we decided to stop, take some pictures, and speak to a few of the people rallying. I took a few moments to talk with Jannai Pero, who was manning a table with petitions and literature for the Central Valley Tea Party, who are loosely affiliated with the national Tea Party Patriots organization. Jannai struck me as a very passionate person, eager to inform people about the movement and spread the word about what the Central Valley Tea Party is trying to accomplish.

Jannai Pero

Jannai Pero wasn’t the only person I met today that is passionate about the state of America and our government. Of the many people who lined the streets, I ran into what appeared to be a mother and daughter, waving posters saying, “We’re Taxed Enough Already”.

Proud Ladies

There was a proud Marine Corps Veteran talking about Freedom – and who better to remind us of the price of freedom paid by him and the rest of our military and their families in the past and present, and why we should never take it for granted?

Freedom & Responsibility

There were folks waving posters that demonstrated their anger.

But are they listening?

There were signs that urged Americans to get informed.

Informed Protester

There were banners that did not mince words about how they would be voting in November.

Babies to Seniors - Everyone was represented at the Tax Day Tea Party 2010

And on the lighter side, some people dressed the part, while others brought their dogs along — though this canine protester seemed more interested in enjoying the sunshine than anything else.

Uncle Sam?

Protesting Pooch

Young Tea Partiers

I was most impressed by the young people I saw out on the streets protesting right along-side the more senior members of the Tea Party movement who, too often, seem to be the people the press focuses on the most, trying to make the Tea Party seem like a bunch of old, retired, right-wing conservatives who are just protesting possible cuts to their Social Security or Medicare benefits. It’s such a shame that the Tea Party is so often portrayed this way, as it is so far from the truth. I’m middle-aged myself, and find I agree with a lot of what this party is talking about. And in the past couple of years while traveling, I’ve met a lot of other people who consider themselves Tea Party members, or at least agree with a whole lot of what their members are saying, and most of these people do not fit the media stereotype. The people I have met are regular folks — average Americans whose economic and ethnic backgrounds, as well as their ages, are all over the map.

I found all of the activity today, both in Oakhurst and across this nation, fantastic. Regardless of one’s party affiliation, as an American, you have to agree that freedom of speech and participating in our own government is what this country — what Democracy is all about. For too long Americans have been apathetic about the goings on in Washington D.C. We have felt that the machine is too big and that there is nothing we can do as individuals to make our voices heard.

Our nation was founded on the idea that those in government are representing everyone, not just themselves. As Abraham Lincoln said, ours is a “government of the people, by the people, for the people”. Well, the people are finally realizing that we do have a say in how we’re governed, individuals can make a difference, and it’s time that our representatives hear what we say and do what we ask! American Revolution 2.0. I love it!