Tempe Town Lake

Was it a pro-tax party? We want more taxes? Let me get this straight? Mayor Hugh Hallman of Tempe, which is the city with the highest tax rate in Arizona spoke at this alleged anti-tax party? Mayor Hugh Hallman is a tax and spend tyrannt!

I am certainly glad I didn't attend. Listening to either Mayor Hugh Hallman or that blowhard J.D. Hayworth would have been a total waste of time!

Source

Thousands gather at state Capitol for ‘tea party’

By: Derek Quizon

Published On:Thursday, April 16, 2009

Thousands of self-proclaimed “tea-partiers” gathered in front of the state Capitol building on Wednesday evening to protest government spending policies they say are wasteful.

It was all part of a nationwide campaign of conservative protests known as “tea parties” — evoking imagery of the 1773 Boston Tea Party — organized by the activist group Americans for Prosperity.

“The taxpayer tea party is a call for the federal and state governments to stop the ridiculous taxing and spending [policies],” political science sophomore Jessica Bender said, citing the stimulus package passed in February as an example. Bender, an active member of the College Republicans, was one of many students from that ASU club in attendance.

The students were part of a crowd estimated by Tom Jenney, director of the Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity, to comprise 5,000 people. Arizona Capitol Police said they did not have an estimate of the turnout, but it was clearly very high.

An hour and a half before the event was scheduled to begin, hundreds of people had already gathered on the lawn in front of the state Senate building. By the scheduled start time of 5:30 p.m., the number of protestors had grown significantly, many holding signs that read “Separation of business and state,” “No public funding for private failure” and “Stop Tax Theft.”

Jenney said the turnout was result of the outrage of a quiet majority of Arizonans who have watched politicians on a state and national level pass reforms he said would hurt the country in the long term.

“We’ve gotten a lot of people off their couches and away from the Internet [to give] their message to the President, the state Legislature and the governor,” Jenney said. “No new taxes, no more bailouts and no more debt burdens on our grandchildren.”

Former District 5 Rep. J.D. Hayworth spoke to the crowd when taking breaks from covering the event for a local talk news radio station. Hayworth criticized the recent stimulus package, the bailouts for corporations and President Barack Obama’s relief plan for homeowners, all of which he said reward failure.

“[In America], you can make true your greatest dreams and ambitions,” he said. “But you have to realize one fundamental truth — you have to help yourself.”

Other speakers included State Rep. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu, and Mayor Hugh Hallman of Tempe, as well as a number of local conservative talk-radio personalities. Each drew tremendous response from the conservative crowd, which seemed eager to prove it could be just as vocal as the groups that have been protesting state budget cuts at the Capitol on an almost-daily basis.

Bender said the passionate debate has been spurred by tough economic times.

“America is in a very unhappy situation right now. Both sides are unhappy,” Bender said.

Reach the reporter at derek.quizon@asu.edu.