Local 'Tea Party' supporter speaks out against wasteful spending. By William Roller
Original Story Located Here
Photo and story courtesy of the Yuma Sun.
Heeding to a page right out of history, some Yuma businessmen will give a nod to American patriots by organizing their own "Tea Party" to get the U.S. government to use common sense in the way they spend taxpayer money.
"We're just sick and tired of government trying to balance their budgets on the backs of working people - the taxpayer," John Mitchell, owner of John and Margie's Ranch House Restaurant, said.
But unlike the Boston Tea Party where patriots jettisoned 342 chests of British tea into the harbor, Mitchell and and his crew plan to hand out tea bags so citizens can mail them to elected representatives. The direct action is to protest irresponsible government spending, Mitchell said.
"Taxation without representation, that's similar to the Boston Tea Party," Mitchell said. "When the King of England wanted to tax the colonies, the people had no say in the English Parliament how their money was spent. Today we have very little say."
National Tax Day Tea Party is planned for April 15 in cities across the country to protest what some published reports say is a growing objection to the Obama Administration's spending on programs such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
"This is nonpartisan, it's about principals, values and integrity," Mitchell said.
He went on that the Tea Party is not anti-Obama but it protests both political parties he holds responsible for wasteful spending. He said that Obama models his administration after President Lincoln, but he recalled Lincoln saying, "no country can spend its way to prosperity."
"That's what the government is trying to do, but they have to take money away from taxpayers and then they borrow from other countries, like China," Mitchell said.
Mitchell acknowledged money is not the end-all pursuit in life, but it does provide the freedom to pursue the "American Dream" and when government confiscates citizens' finances through taxation, it is robbing them of their freedom.
And the problem is not just with the federal government but starts at city hall, Mitchell said.
Yuma's Hospitality tax was supposed to be temporary, yet 40 years later it is stillenforced, despite voters rejecting an extension last November, he added.
"Governor Jan Brewer is also proposing a temporary sales tax that's a full one percentage point increase," Mitchell said. "There's no such thing as a temporary tax. The Hospitality Tax was supposed to sunset after 25 years. We'd just like to know what part of 'no' they don't understand at city hall."
Mitchell compared tax extensions similar to parents who give in to children to gratify their immediate desires. He added that he believes politicians ingratiate themselves by providing pork barrel spending programs paid with taxes in order to get re-elected and in that way they will be able to hold onto power.
Yuma's Tax Day Tea Party is provisionally scheduled at East Wetlands Park just below the Ocean-to-Ocean bridge from 4 to 8 p.m. depending upon final approval of a permit from the City of Yuma, Mitchell said.
Howard Blitz, a Yuma State Farm Insurance agent, is a co-organizer with Mitchell and the two of them also work in conjunction with American's for Prosperity, a nationwide organization that advocates for public policies that promotes entrepreneurship and fiscal responsibility.
"The fact the government is printing money for expenses it cannot afford is what's really disturbing," Blitz said. "No one knows how high prices could go but printing money to pay for things decreases the value of money and that can lead to hyperinflation."
Mitchell added they wanted the government to stay out of business.
"Let the free market determine where the economy goes, that's the only safe way to go," Mitchell said.
--
William Roller can be reached at wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.