Salt Lake City Tea Party Video
April 15th, 2009
Tea party protesters speak of founding fathers and belive that current spending policies are unconstitutional
Richard Markosian
"I am tired of the government helping me!" was the cry that rang out to thunderous applause on Tuesday at the Salt Lake City tea party rally. Michael Brown, one of the speakers, was voicing his concerns about government intervention--hand outs or bail outs--and his worries echoed those of what many attendees at the rally believe amounts to Amercia shifting to Socialism.
"I don't really know what I am anymore," said attendee May Williams when asked about her political party affiliation. Many attending the event, which had been labeled by the mainstream press as a "right-wing" Republican movement, said they no longer consider themselves Republicans because the party has gone astray from the values which once defined it: small, limited government.
We spoke to former Congressman Merrill Cook about the fragmentation of the Republican Party and his take is that the party seems to be adopting some of the ideas of the Libertarian Party, whose tagline touts "smaller government, lower taxes, and more freedom." Many whom Utah Stories spoke to believe that America is losing its free market capitalist economy, and even go so far as to say that the constitution is being "dismantled" in the form of economic stimulus.
"I don't want to become Europe...I want the government to stay out of my affairs," Williams said, while clutching her infant daughter. Williams braved the cold and snow--even with her two small children in tow--because she believed that it was important for her to be there.
An estimated 2,000 attendees gathered in front of the Federal Building in downtown Salt Lake City to attend the tea party. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff also spoke at the event. He said that he believes Obama's current policies are unconstitutional and that the traditional practice of "limited power" for the federal government, which allows for individual states to have more power in their own affairs, "has been flipped up-side-down." Shurtleff said that he won't go so far as to file a lawsuit against the federal government, but he believes that more people speaking out and conducting "tea parties" in the same spirit of the original will send a clear message to Washington that they are encroaching on our freedom and we won't tolerate it.
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Reader Comments
Ben Jenkins
Thank You! Thank You! This is one of the only specimens of truthful and accurate reporting that I have seen in a long time. You captured the mood of the protest. While watching this, I felt the same way I did when I was at the protest. That was a good thing. You guys have done a great service to our country in providing this short documentary. Thank You!
