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Learn more about the Tea Party or find a local group at http://teapartypa...>
TEA PARTY MEETINGS
* Catoosa County: Meetings are 7 p.m. the second and third Tuesday of each month. E-mail catoosapatriots@g... or visit the group's Facebook page.
* Dade County: The first meeting is set at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 12 in the Dade County Commission meeting room in the county administration building.
* Gilmer County: Visit www.teapartyofgil... for meeting schedule and information.
* Walker County: Meetings are at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at Dari-Dip. E-mail jamesgrocesr@comc... for more information.
Source: Local Tea Party leaders
There's a political movement percolating in North Georgia, and it's picking up steam.
Catoosa, Gilmer and Walker counties have tea party groups, and new ones are forming in Dade and Whitfield counties.
"My desire is to go through all of the (Georgia's) 9th Congressional District and organize tea parties," said James Groce, a leader with the Tea Party of Walker County.
Teresa Tatum, a leader of Catoosa County Patriots, said modern-day tea party groups loosely are named after the Boston Tea Party of 1773.
"It's not that we're protesting taxation without representation, but we're definitely against the progressive tax system and we believe that it's unconstitutional," she said.
Mr. Groce said his tea party days started on April 15, when he joined the tax day protest in LaFayette, Ga. Protesters gathered in Washington, D.C., and around the nation that day to speak out against government spending. Since then, local tea parties have organized to keep an eye on politics throughout the year.
"We're just a bunch of independent conservatives who want to take the country back," Mr. Groce said.
He said tea party members have certain political goals.
Ms. Tatum said "less federal control would probably be the mantra for the entire tea party movement."
Tea party members advocate less government spending. Some support a statewide sales tax that would replace property, income and other forms of tax, she said.
But Chris Scott, chairman of the Catoosa County Democratic Party, said the people behind the tea party movement "are usually big landowners and they don't want to pay any more property tax."
Mr. Scott said governments already operate on limited budgets, citing recent furloughs for public employees and schoolteachers.
"Every time you pay taxes, you're not throwing money away, you're investing in your community," he said, adding that vital services such as law enforcement could go away without taxes.
Jack Smith, a member of the Tea Party of Gilmer County, said each tea party group is independent and focuses on grass-roots issues.
He said groups are participating in 2010 elections by having candidates attend meetings and speak. But the groups are not endorsing specific candidates, he said.
In response to Mr. Scott's comments, I would like to clarify a few things.
We are Americans who understand that we are losing our freedoms one by one. It's not just about taxes. It's about liberty first and foremost. We are standing up to a federal government that is evolving into tyrannical leviathan. We are lawfully protesting not only for our families, but also for citizens who do not yet understand the peril we are facing. I pray we will all awaken to the socialistic pied piper before we lose our first and second amendment rights.
Mr. Scott is also correct about Catoosa County cutting hours for public employees and school teachers. He failed to mention that no cuts have been made at the administrative level including non-essential bureaucrats who make upwards of 50k a year. I personally think it would be prudent for the school administration to set an example and cut the fat at the top before they remove the resources essential in providing a quality government education for our children.
The Tea Party movement is not advocating the repeal of all taxes. Most of us are high school graduates at the very least. We are also doctors, lawyers and business owners. We understand the need for tax revenue to provide infrastructure including roads, law enforcement and new high schools that resemble small private colleges. We are simply saying that we believe our existing tax system allows too many loop holes for the very rich and over burdens the hardest working citizens in our country. We are tired of the politicians both republicans and democrats using our hard earned money on frivolous and self serving pork spending. They work for us. We do not work for them.
I concur in the comments made by Georgiapatriot.
To respond further to Mr. Scott: the "big landowner" assertion is inflamatory as well as largely wrong, and seems an ill-devised attempt to turn discussions of issues, both local and national, into a form of class warfare. That arguement simply won't fly. As for me, I own a whopping 6/10 of an acre. I understand that Walker County's tax base is heavily skewed toward property taxes, and have a strong desire to see a broadened tax base in the county. Yes, taxes pay for law enforcement. They also pay for bloated and ineffectice public payrolls, especially in education. It's the latter that we protest.
Fundamentally the "tea party" phenomenon is simply a gathering place for a lot of us who have never been activists, preferring to quietly tend to our own business. We've recently realized the folly of our silence, and have begun to join together to advocate for common sense and frugality in public policy, at every level. We welcome every citizen who wants to preserve our liberty, no matter how much dirt they may or may not own.
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