Extreme Americans: The Harrisburg Tax Day Tea Party–Addendum
Written by Audrie Zettick on April 15, 2009
Addendum (4/16/09) Official estimates place the attendance at closer to 2,000. Please take time to watch the video–average mainstream Americans concerned for their country.
It may have rained–even poured–but it didn’t seem to dampen spirits at the Tax Day Tea Party on the Capitol steps in Harrisburg. I was there and agree with other sources that there were at least 1,000 people in attendance. Many more who were less willing to get chilled to the bone repeatedly drove by in their cars, taking photos, shouting in agreement…but we’re not counting those. Imagine if the weather had been clearer.
Here’s my YouTube video of the event (promise I’ll work on a new mike for next time).
Notice all the extreme Americans present, apparently engaged in threatening behavior like:
- chanting inciteful slogans (USA, USA)
- spontaneously breaking into song (God Bless America).
- Bringing food and personal items to donate to The Bethesda Mission.
All voluntary. The way we like it.
Proud to be among these great folks.
By the way, near the beginning of the video, that’s me and my daughter in the still photo with the signs (I’m Only 15 and already am $36,000 in debt). Her first protest. Aren’t we “Smart Girls.”
Juvenile Delinquent Politicians: It’s How We Got Here
Written by Audrie Zettick on March 31, 2009
PA Leadership Conference recently held in Harrisburg, PA. Congressman Armey is now with Freedomworks and was the kickoff speaker for the PLC’s 20th Anniversary conference. Basically, he asked the question, “How the hell did we get here?”
Over 570 conservatives were in attendance at this year’s conference, the biggest ever. I saw people there I haven’t seen in years. In fact, I’ve been missing in action from this conference though here in spirit. Busy doing my part raising kids, running a business and generally trying to keep ahead of all those daily responsibilities.
I was scared off my duff this past year, as I watched American policy carried along by the rush of popular politics, not deep thought. That’s why I was there and why I’ll be at the Harrisburg Tax Day Tea Party. Tweeting, blogging and Facebook have their place, but elbow to elbow with like-thinkers is invigorating in this time of national stress. And Armey’s message hits home.
He asked: how in the world can you get so many billions of dollars in bad business decisions? Politicians in action have gone beyond sensibility to the absurd. He explained:
- Almost all bad ideas can be worked into a rationale for building bigger government…that ultimately benefits elected officials by allowing them to build a bigger empire.It’s a natural impulse.
- Politicians are drawn to economic issues for power, control, and authority over your life and money.
- Politicians accept bad ideas because they are easy and nonrigorous.
I don’t mean to beat up politicians. I’m a former county-wide elected official (Clerk of Courts), committeewoman, judge of elections, and ran for Congress, among other positions. But I’m a firm believer in term limits, limiting one’s time in office in order to keep connected to the “real world” the rest of us live in. Armey’s message nails the problem.
According to Armey, politics today is form of juvenile delinquency and citizens are living with the consequences. He noted that it’s time to stop accepting this behavior.
I say, let’s perform an intervention. The Tax Day Tea Party protests are a good start (or continuation, for those of you have been to the previous Tea Party protests). See you there.
Posted in: Republican, Uncategorized, policy
