Published: April 07, 2009 08:35 pm      

Trouble brewing over federal spending

Area groups hold Tea Parties to protest recent government policies of stimulus packages and bailout programs

Henderson County residents are sending messages — and tea bags — to Washington, D.C.

The Lone Star Republican Women of Henderson County sent over 200 tea bags to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

LSRW President Sara Taylor said the bags are meant to send a message to the government about tax money it is spending.

“People were glad we were doing it because they were protesting, too,” she said. “We wanted it to go to the President of the United States. He’s the one in charge and he’s the one we are protesting.”

The tea bags were collected by the organization on March 20 at the Henderson County Republican Headquarters, according to Taylor.

“We felt it was a great success,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of response from holding that at the headquarters.”

LSRW encourages all citizens to continue sending the tea to the White House.

The Athens Tea Party will be held on April 15 at 5 p.m., in front of the Henderson County Courthouse.

“We’ve just been disgusted with everything that is going on with the taxes and bailouts,” co-organizer Rose Patton, of LaRue, said. “I feel the economy will be stimulated more if they gave the money to the people.”

She is asking participants to bring tea bags to send to Washington, D.C.

“I think they should because we are calling it a tea party,” Patton said. “It goes back to the Boston Tea Party when people felt they were overtaxed.”

She said the movement is nationwide to draw attention of the federal government.

“We are fed up,” Patton said.

She said she doesn’t know how many people will show up but would love to see 500 participate.

“We are getting calls,” Patton said.

Athens Tea Party co-organizer Gary Walker, of LaRue, said to pay for the current spending, either taxes will be significantly raised or there will be a high rate of inflation.

“The basic gist is we all work hard, we all pay our taxes,” Walker said. “We don’t feel our taxes are being used in a frugal way.”