Tax Day has finally come. And as the WSJ points out, nationwide there are more than 300 tea parties being organized. Each state of the union will have one:
Today American taxpayers in more than 300 locations in all 50 states will hold rallies — dubbed “tea parties” — to protest higher taxes and out-of-control government spending. There is no political party behind these rallies, no grand right-wing conspiracy, not even a 501(c) group like MoveOn.org.
The most revealing aspect of these tea parties is that it’s not led by a political party, labor union, or organization. It is purely a grassroots movement of ordinary Americans who want to give the government a piece of their mind. Of course, liberals are making snarky comments at these protesters, and the mainstream media joins the chorus. They label the tea party movement as “AstroTurf,” claiming it is not a real grassroots movement. (Liberals would like to trademark “grassroots” if it were legal to do so.)
Whatever. Nobody really cares what the liberals think anyway. Look back at their rallies and you’ll notice something oddly similar. They’re often coordinated and led by organizations such as ACORN, MoveOn, Code Pink, NOW, etc. In their case, the protesters are mindless followers.
Today’s tea parties, the protesters are leaders. Everyday citizens who work hard to feed their families, make payments on mortgages, and have a simple message: We want more of our own money kept in our wallets. They are not gathering because a political party or activist organization tells them to. In fact, many conservative organizations are the followers of the movement.
Look at this map. This is the real change we can believe in.
