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TEA time is around the corner in Coweta and FayetteThu, 04/02/2009 - 3:33pm
By: Ben Nelms
Updated Story For some people, it is just their cup of tea. Taxed Enough Already (TEA), that is. Taken from the idea of the Boston Tea Party, residents from Coweta and Fayette counties are making preparations to hold local tea parties in Newnan and Peachtree City at noon on April 15, prior to a similar event later that day on the steps of the Capitol. The rallies mirror those taking place across America on tax day. Some local residents believe that a person can be a Republican or a Democrat and still be fed up with what is happening in Washington. Some even dare to say that the most important thing today is to be an American, regardless of present or past party affiliation, and to be willing take a stand when they continue to see the Constitution abridged and future generations subject to debt they will not be able to pay. Two of those residents are Wendy Bloedt and her mother Judy Whitwood, who have lived in Sharpsburg for about 20 years. They are local organizers of the trip to the April 15 Atlanta Tea Party. “I feel like this (Tea Party) movement is a bi-partisan movement,” Bloedt said. “I know there are very conservative Democrats out there who don’t agree with all the spending that’s going on. I don’t believe it’s specific to President Obama. I believe it’s the entire government body in Washington, D.C. right now. It started for me (during the Bush Administration) when TARP came down the pipe. I was literally standing in my living room looking at my TV when (Treasury) Secretary Paulson came on. I was screaming, ‘you’ve got to be kidding me.’ And what frightened me so much was to watch Congress react so quickly and in a panicked state. Now they’re proving it. TARP does not work. They made a judgment in a state of panic and nobody sat down and took the time to think this through. (Congress) was sold a bill of goods and they bought it.” Whether Democrat or Republican, members of Congress participated in what Whitwood said is a problem that must be fixed now. “There is enough blame to go around for everybody. That’s part of what this movement is. We don’t care what party it is. The blame game is over. Everybody was guilty on this,” Whitwood said. “Now it’s our time to tell them to fix this. Fix it right and act on behalf of our citizens and not on their own special interests. Our country was built on service, and our politicians have lost sight of that.” Neither Bloedt nor Whitwood are politicians nor have they held political office. They are citizens loyal to their nation. That loyalty, said Bloedt, leaves her no room for silence or complacency. “The tea parties, basically to me, are about the loss of liberty in our nation and increased taxes in a time I don’t feel like we can afford. Our nation is going into debt in a way that’s going to affect not only me but my children and grandchildren, probably,” Bloedt said. “And it’s about a Congress in Washington and an administration that is completely out of control. They are trampling our Constitution.” Bloedt has also created a Facebook page, A Silent Majority. Whitwood holds similar sentiments on the need for Americans who feel the same way to express their opinions on what has become a travesty and a directed transformation of the American identity. “Basically it’s about trying to save our nation for my grandkids. It boils down to wanting to give them something better than we had, not something worse than we had. And it’s about taking our liberties and freedoms away and trampling on our Constitution daily,” Whitwood said. Referencing her statement on the first $750 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds rushed through Congress under the Bush administration, Bloedt said she has the same problem with similar bills proposed under the Obama administration and passed by Congress. “The bills that Congress has passed lately, they’re trampling on the United States Constitution, in my opinion,” Bloedt said, citing an example.” When you go back ex post facto and you back tax bonuses to the AIG people, I believe that was extremely erroneous because I believe our Constitution states that you are not supposed to able to do things like that. And I see this Congress doing nothing but reacting to fear. It’s a total disregard for the Constitution because they are worried about how they are going to appear to their constituents. I feel like they are completely remaking law and I feel like this administration is doing everything it can to gain as much power over the citizens as it possibly can and using the economy to do it.” Next door in Fayette County, Tyrone Town Council member Grace Caldwell agreed. Whether Democrat or Republican, she urged all to speak out in a time when the federal government is changing the Constitution. “We must go in mass to prove to our elected officials that we oppose bigger government, more taxes, imposing huge taxes on our children and grandchildren and those children not even born. Now it seems the Congress of this United States wants to punish those who have worked hard all their life and lived within their means. They want to take that away from the prudent ones and distribute it among those who don't want to take responsibility for their own life,” Caldwell said. “I would also hope that Tea Parties would continue every six weeks to let Congress know that we are monitoring every decision they make.” Peachtree City resident Cindy Fallon is not a politician. She is a citizen who asked and received clearance to hold a tea party at city hall. Her reasons for wanting to hold the rally are numerous and are reflective of groups across America already holding similar events. “As a wife, mother of three children and citizen of the United States of America, I have become increasingly frustrated with Congress and this administration's decisions,” Fallon said. ”Voting for a $500 billion tax bill without having time to read the whole document, bailing out companies from poor business decisions, implementing these bailouts with no accountability, taking our wealth, what little is left of it, redistributing it (socialism), and nominating people for leadership positions in our country who don't even pay their taxes, these are just a few of the reasons that I felt compelled to organize a Tea Party Day. TEA is the acronym for Taxed Enough Already. I know from all the email and phone calls I have gotten that I am not in the minority. It is time for all the good people of America to stand up and tell Congress and our President that we are TEA’D.” Organizers will hold a sign making party for the TEA Party events April 4 at 9:30 a.m. at Sharpsburg Baptist Church located at 6413 Ga. Highway 54. Coffee and donuts will be provided. Along with tea party events at noon April 15 at the city halls in Newnan and Peachtree City, buses for the Atlanta Tea Party will depart from the Coweta County Fairgrounds at 4:45 p.m. sharp. Tickets to pay for the transportation are $18 and the deadline for reservations is April 11. For more information on bus transportation to the event visit www.ridethebuscoweta.blogspot.com Tea parties will be held at noon on April 15 at the city halls in Peachtree City and Newnan. For more information on the Peachtree City rally contact Cindy Fallon at (770) 631-2683 or by email at cwfallon@bellsouth.net For more information on the Newnan rally contact Chip Coursey at (770) 296-4748 or by email at chip@courseyproperties.com For more information on the Atlanta rally, visit http://atlantateaparty.net or for reserved bus transportation to the Atlanta rally at a cost of $18, contact Wendy Bloedt at 678-898-3687 or visit www.ridethebuscoweta.blogspot.com. login to post comments
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