The Santa Ana Tax Day Tea Party had a “festival atmosphere that included performances by two members of the 1970s pop band Bay City Rollers and a strolling Uncle Sam on stilts. Pig-shaped balloons, a symbol of government pork, flapped in the breeze above a crowd estimated at 800 by the Santa Ana Police Department. But speeches were the central order of the day, picked for the protests because it was the tax-filing deadline,” according to the O.C. Register.
Our blogger Larry Gilbert was there. I imagine he will be putting up a post later today. We did receive a bunch of pictures from a web page put up by our reader Travis Kiger. Thanks Travis! Be sure to read the rest of this post to see the pictures below. The one on top of this post is pretty funny as it depicts a Democrat counter-protester asking the very good question, “Where were you when Bush was spending?” I suspect that many of these protesters were Bush enablers over the last eight years.
Not sure what to make of the picture above. Why are folks complaining about Obama? It is our Republican Governor and our State Legislators who put our state in a budget hole!
Santa Ana’s finest showed up. What is their fixation with horses? I don’t get that. How much do these damn horses cost our local taxpayers?
Someone put a lot of work into those banners!
Okay – that is just weird.
Okay, that one is pretty weird too.
Finally a sign that makes some sense!
Yea Art,
The people that work for a living are just plain nuts.
Sorry we don’t all share the option that we need to give the money we work for to Peolple that are underserved!! American liberal’s truly are the height of ignorance.
Michele,
We all have a legitimate beef about taxes. But bringing religion into this is nuts. So is blaming Obama. Our state tax problem has nothing to do with him and everything to do with Schwarzenegger and the idiot Reeps who voted for the new taxes, not to mention the awful Dems in Sacramento.
This protest should have been NON-partisan. Making it a GOP event undercuts its effectiveness.
I too went to the Santa Ana protest, strictly as an observer, 800 is a fair number, I asked 3 different police officers for crowd estimates, the consensus seemed to be between 500 and 1,000.
Art, I think this protest was more anti-Obama than anti-Schwarzenegger, at least judging by the signage.
I was watching the young man with the “where were you when Bush was spending?” sign, he was enduring a lot of hostility.It seems that many of these people are angry about a lot more than taxes.
Police horses dont cost the tax payers anything as they are aown and cared by their police officers…You should worry about the thousands of dollars we have to pay for police services for May Day protests involving illegal aliens!!!!!!!!!
#3,
Very true. I find it pretty darn hard to work with most Republicans these days. Angry bunch. And bitter too.
anonster.
We can finally agree on something…attendance.
I discussed the turnout with both Martin Wisckol and Alan Bartlett minutes before the official start. I will agree that up until I left, at aornd 1 pm, 500 to 1,000 is about right.
Here is where we differ. While we are angry with the massive stimulus in side the beltway we have a closer to home fight that we can act on in CA.
We just received our sample ballot for the May 19th Special election. And while the former conservative?? Republican Mr Schwarzenegger is promoting billion of additional taxes, we came together around the state to send a message. He can buy ads but he will not buy the “grass roots.” Many were burned before and will not rubber stamp his new agenda. Polling show all six in trouble. This election is really simple. Vote NO on every one of the ballot measures.
PS: “Don’t blame me.” I voted for Tom McClintock in the recall election and in fact saw one or more signs with that same sentiment.
I have some good photos and will try to get them to Art for consideration to add to his post.
i renember when the dems where bitter and angry. they still are . who made this a republican event ? i thought this was to be for ALL TAX PAYERS who are sick n tired of big gov . and especially sacramento and their bozos …
LOt of people there, I think the city made a bundle on parking fees.
Wish they had hog dogs and sodas.
John,
You are right that an immigrant screwed up California, but he is an Austrian, not a Mexican. And he is white, not brown.
Recall Arnold!
I hate to sound pessimistic, but California seems completely lost at this point. (With exception of a relatively few counties the majority of the state is a mess.) Any hope I hold out for America is centered in other states. Especially considering that Washington seems to like the California approach to budgets. Both republicans and democrats (ha no surprise there) are actively flushing the country down the toilet and have been for some time. The real sad part to all of this, is that the country elected Obama and now is suddenly “shocked” at what he’s doing. Congratulations folks! You get what you deserve!
Actually, as an addendum to the above, I’m not entirely convinced we’d be any better off (at least fiscally) had McCain won.
Seems like there are a few so-called Libertarians who rage and see racism around every corner.
Not to mention a strange tendency towards anti-religious bigotry.
Hardly the “freedom or religion” normal Libertarians recognize.
And funny how Art has no trouble ignoring the responsibility of the “federal” executive, but enjoys pointing to the “state” executive. and we call know he’d be calling out how minorities are “hardest hit” and the racism of not passing a Demoncrat budget.
I went to the one in Santa Monica by the pier. There were 100-150 people on a street corner bothering traffic with home made signs and big flags and no real organization. On a per capita basis there was a lot of news coverage and police for a nonevent. A skateboarding demonstration in the beach parking lot was better organized and had a bigger turnout. The Tea Day protest was a libertarian event and not a republican event, with demonstrators arguing among themselves, and a really stiff ocean breeze blowing things around and making it hard to hear.
One t-shirt said George Bush for President and he wasn’t kidding. One t-shirt was for Ron Paul. Another said “I’m Tea’d Off At” followed by donkey and elephant symbols.
I asked for a No on 1A sign, and was given the stack with instructions to pass them out. Half the people there did not know what 1A is about.
The OC “crowds” look pretty similar by the pics I’ve seen. Bottom line is we should be having a revolution but we’re not.
Where was everybody when we blew a trillion on Iraq?
Oh and the $40 Million scammed here?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090416/ap_on_re_us/iraq_fuel_theft
9000 earmarks in Obamas Stimulus…That is all…Both parties are idtiots!!!!!!!
The republican governor has a hard time dealing with a Democrat state congress and population. There is no way he would have been elected if he was truly a fiscal rightist or libertarian. Had Californians supported less spending and less taxation, California’s state govt would have enacted on that policy. Popular belief rules in a Democracy, so the outcome of popular high spending policies can only be blamed on the people of California for they elect their governors based on their belief – beliefs which do not correlate to the fiscal ideologies of his respective party.
The majority of Californians elect their governors as they do their presidents and other official: by the politicians’ public image and by their rhetoric. We haven’t necessarily voted for someone because we agree with the person’s beliefs or actions. We are lied to, and we have been lazy. I am one of the reasons we have the representatives we presently have. I am of that majority. I have never been very politically vocal, and only mildly reactive. Now the results of my ignorance has injured and awakened me. I am angry and I am looking for avenues not only to vote AGAINST incumbents, but see to it that the malefactors be brought to justice. Schwarzenegger is a RINO, and not governing as a Conservative, much less a Republican. California representatives are an embarrassment to our state, as Obama is an embarrassment to our country. Boxer and Feinstein are, plain and simple, intelligent, manipulative nuts. At least Obama is sincere ….though sincerely anti-Constitutional to the point of treasonous. Quit intellectualizing and rationalizing! Go beyond the tainted and biased news, and do some research yourself. Internet, people! It’s what I did, when I first noticed a man I had hopes for, for president….until I read of Senator Obama’s voting record, associations, and actions. I changed my mind. Now I expect to be attacked. When Liberals cannot back up what they say with facts, they smear.
I’m not trying to be rascist but I think it is halarious how some people who don’t work but complain about taxes complain. Illegal aliens seem to do that quite a bit. Overcrowding is the reason for most of our countries poverty just think about it: In public school’s you have to print multiple language EVERYTHING which is a waste of paper, money, and trees. So many unemployed people means higher taxes, and the list goes on. By all means you can call me a rascist but i’m just stating the facts