Tea party news - Texas says it can leave
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| Wed, 04-15-2009 - 6:26pm |
Looks like Fox was there to capture the news. Texas claims it can leave the union if it wants. Personally I don't see how its possible, we had a civil war which seemed to decide this issue.
Our federal government is growing without any restraint. I can understand the concern of productive states that their wealth will be taxed to cover less productive states.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/gen/ap/TX_Perry_Tea_Party.html
Perry fires up anti-tax crowd
Texas Gov. Rick Perry fired up an anti-tax "tea party" Wednesday with his stance against the federal government and for states' rights as some in his U.S. flag-waving audience shouted, "Secede!"
An animated Perry told the crowd at Austin City Hall — one of three tea parties he was attending across the state — that officials in Washington have abandoned the country's founding principles of limited government. He said the federal government is strangling Americans with taxation, spending and debt.
Perry repeated his running theme that Texas' economy is in relatively good shape compared with other states and with the "federal budget mess." Many in the crowd held signs deriding President Barack Obama and the $786 billion federal economic stimulus package.
Perry called his supporters patriots. Later, answering news reporters' questions, Perry suggested Texans might at some point get so fed up they would want to secede from the union, though he said he sees no reason why Texas should do that.
"There's a lot of different scenarios," Perry said. "We've got a great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that. But Texas is a very unique place, and we're a pretty independent lot to boot."
He said when Texas entered the union in 1845 it was with the understanding it could pull out. However, according to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Texas negotiated the power to divide into four additional states at some point if it wanted to but not the right to secede.
Texas did secede in 1861, but the North's victory in the Civil War put an end to that.
Perry is running for re-election against U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a fellow Republican. His anti-Washington remarks have become more strident the past few weeks as that 2010 race gets going and since Perry rejected $550 million in federal economic stimulus money slated to help Texas' unemployment trust fund.
Perry said the stimulus money would come with strings attached that would leave Texas paying the bill once the federal money ran out.
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, also Republicans, have been outspoken against the federal economic stimulus spending and were supportive of tea parties in their states. The protests were being held throughout the country on federal income tax deadline day to imitate the original Boston Tea Party of American revolutionary times.
In an appearance at the Texas Capitol last week, Perry joined state lawmakers in pushing a resolution that supports states' rights protected in the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He said the federal government has become oppressive in its size and interference with states.
Since then, Perry has been featured on the online Drudge Report, and other conservative commentators and citizens have latched on to his words.
After praising veterans in the cheering crowd Wednesday, he said: "I'm just not real sure you're a bunch of right-wing extremists. But if you are, we're with you."
Perry said he believes he could be at the center of a national movement that is coordinated and focused in its opposition to the actions of the federal government.
"It's a very organic thing," he said. "It is a very powerful moment, I think, in American history."
For her part, Hutchison issued a newspaper opinion piece Wednesday criticizing the Democratic-led Congress for spending on the stimulus bill and the $1 trillion appropriations bill.
"On April 15 — Tax Day — some in Congress may need a reminder of just who is underwriting this spending: the American taxpayer. I am deeply concerned over the swelling tax burden that will be imposed on all Texas families," she wrote.
The crowd at the Austin tea party appeared to be decidedly anti-Democrat. Many of the speakers were Republicans and Libertarians.
One placard said, "Stop Obama's Socialism." Another read, "Some Pirates Are in America," and it showed photographs of Obama, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wearing pirate hats.
Rebecca Knowlton, 45, of Smithville, said she took the day off of home-schooling her three children and brought them to the rally to teach them about civic duty. Knowlton, a critic of the Social Security system and the United Nations, said she felt camaraderie at the demonstration.
"The movement is growing stronger," she said. "You're not alone."

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Texas is the only state that was once its own country, with its
Thank you Tan
Ever been to Texas? If they suspect you're an "outsider", or worse, a Yankee like me, they are probably some of the least tolerant people I've ever met. The only nice people I met were the ones I'm related to.
These are the same people who yell about supporting the troops, but where do they think the support comes from? The military funds fairy? Um, no, try those taxes you don't want to pay, and I hope that none of them are accepting any sort of SSI or unemployment benefits. And they better all be home-schooling their kids for that matter.
Good luck with their secession plans. As I recall, they didn't stay an independant nation for all that long.
~Heather~
~Heather~
I just love it when people seem to lump all Texans together, like we're all just the same, lol!
You do know these tax protests were nationwide, and not just in Texas, right?
As far as our governor goes, well, I hope he goes away!
Actually, all of this is very American.
This protest wasn't from the grass roots. It was being promoted by certain RW politicians & presented as news by a 'fair & balanced' media network.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i-OWDjOQfI
If you believe the radical conservatives, there were thousands of protests that hosted millions of Americans who are fed up with the runaway taxing and spending that the perceive our government to be practicing. If you believe the bemused hosts of MSNBC’s evening lineup, what you saw was a smattering of the 24 to 26% of Americans who simply cannot bring themselves to find anything positive about the new president, from his handling of the shipping piracy episode to the shoes that his little girls wear to school.
The one thing that we do know about them though, is that they are not simply right-wing ideologues spewing partisan bluster. We know this about them, because they are telling anyone who will listen. So if they are not simply right-wing ideologues spewing partisan bluster and it is truly all about reigning in out of control federal spending, then we know that they are not very smart. Because it took them eight years to find their teabags while the Bush administration was spending like drunken sailors on an ill-advised war.
My father often told me that I should never try to teach a pig to sing, he said all I’d be doing would be wasting my time and agitating the pig. With apologies to my dear departed father, I shall once more try to explain to those whom I shall euphemistically refer to as “The Intractable 25%” that there are two major fiscal issues that must be balanced. These issues are the economic crisis and the budget deficit. While these issues are certainly connected, they are not one in the same. Theoretically, the federal government could cut spending to a bare bones level and make no move to stem the economic downturn. An argument could be made (though a weak one) that the deficit would go down … but at what cost? Who among us would be happy with a 25% unemployment rate? The obvious answer that the radical right has always relied upon would be the 75% who are not suffering! But I digress. My point is, that sometimes (and this is one such time) hard choices are what is the worst of two poor options? We cannot engage in deficit reduction and fight the economic downturn at the same time. A choice must be made, and it is becoming increasingly clear as the economic downturn begins to show signs of slowing, that correct choices are being made. Now that I’m certain that I have sufficiently agitated “The Intractable 25%”, I shall yield the soapbox to the next speaker and chuckle along with the delirious executives at Lipton. So get out your crayons and write me your rebuttals, I find your "logic" to be quite entertaining.
All the tea bags sold must have stimulated the economy somewhat. :)
Aren't these protesters happy their paychecks look a little healthier of late with less taxes being taken out?
A storm in a teacup.
These people were simply protesting the excessive taxes that are going to be imposed upon them.
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