By Staff
Rally participants want government to spend less money
By TED STRONG
Staff Writer
Approximately 200 people gathered on both sides of Second Street in Washington Thursday evening for an old-fashioned tea party.
But they didn’t raise pinkie fingers as they sipped from fine china.
No, this was different: Participants symbolically raised a different finger in the air to protest what they called out-of-control government spending and associated taxation.
The event — in front of the Beaufort County Courthouse — began when master of ceremony William “Buzz” Cayton said, “We’re mad as heck, and we want our country back.”
Even the nearby giant statue of a pig wearing a tea bag on its ear seemed to oink approval on that note.
Cayton also read a letter sent to the gathering by Sen. Richard Burr. “Remember one thing: A government big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take everything you have,” Burr wrote.
Troy Kickler, a historian with the John Locke Foundation, told the crowd that objecting to taxes is an American tradition older than America itself.
Jeff Mixon, of the John W. Pope Civitas Institute, told the crowd that they should emulate the patriots who first embraced the rattlesnake flag.
The event’s speakers told the crowd that the Obama administration’s budget will burden the nation with unprecedented, crippling debt and taxes.
While speakers touched on topics including immigration reform, PCS Phosphate and union-related legislation, the main focus was on reducing government size.
Two local politicians, county commissioners Stan Deatherage and Hood Richardson addressed the crowd to conclude the rally.
Deatherage, the last speaker, criticized “pork” spending.
Just before him, Richardson praised the crowd for its enthusiasm.
Cutline for corresponding photo: People participating in Thursday’s Beaufort County Tea Party adjacent the Beaufort County Courthouse were not shy about displaying their feelings. (WDN Photo/Paul Dunn)