TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party

Tea parties were held across America on April 15, 2009 (tax day) and July 4, 2009 (Independence Day) to protest runaway government spending and bailouts. The events were based on the Boston tea party of December 16, 1773, when American citizens protested against the taxes of the Tea Act (passed by the British Parliament). On March 10, 2009, the American Family Association issued a press release for the April 15th “Taxed Enough Already (TEA) party rallies.”
   
Cincinnati (OH) had Taxed Enough Already (TEA) party rallies since 1993. It is not known if the 2009 tea party organizers knew about the prior Cincinnati example.
   
 
Wikipedia: Tea Party protests
The Tea Party protests are a series of locally organized protests across the United States, beginning in 2009, most of which have developed into nationally coordinated events. The events are in protest of President Obama, the federal budget and, more specifically, the stimulus package, which the protesters perceive as examples of wasteful government spending and unnecessary government growth. They oppose the increase in the national debt as well. The protesters also objected to possible future tax increases, with taxes on capital gains, estate taxes, federal income taxes, and cigarette taxes. Many of the protests were held on April 15, 2009 to coincide with the annual U.S. deadline for submitting tax returns, known as Tax Day.
 
Estimates of the total number of protesters nationwide at the April 15, 2009 Tea Party protests vary widely between sources, ranging from tens of thousands to more than 500,000 at over 800 locations, with The Christian Science Monitor noting, “experts say the counting itself often becomes politicized as authorities, organizers, and attendees often come up with dramatically different counts.”
 
The name “Tea Party” is a reference to the Boston Tea Party, and the protests have sought to evoke images, slogans, and themes from the American Revolution. The letters T, E, and A have been used by protesters to form the backronym “Taxed Enough Already.”
 
Volunteers promoted Tax Day events on blogs, on Twitter, and on Facebook. Reaction to the Tea Parties included counter-protests expressing support for the Obama administration, and dismissive or mocking media coverage of both the events and its promoters, including the Fox News Channel.
 
Wikipedia: Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a direct action protest by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government. On December 16, 1773, after officials in Boston refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain, a group of colonists boarded the ships and destroyed the tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor. The incident remains an iconic event of American history, and has often been referenced in other political protests.
 
The Tea Party was the culmination of a resistance movement throughout British America against the Tea Act, which had been passed by the British Parliament in 1773. Colonists objected to the Tea Act for a variety of reasons, especially because they believed that it violated their right to be taxed only by their own elected representatives. Protestors had successfully prevented the unloading of taxed tea in three other colonies, but in Boston, embattled Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson refused to allow the tea to be returned to Britain. He apparently did not expect that the protestors would choose to destroy the tea rather than concede the authority of a legislature in which they were not directly represented.
 
The Boston Tea Party was a key event in the growth of the American Revolution. Parliament responded in 1774 with the Coercive Acts, which, among other provisions, closed Boston’s commerce until the British East India Company had been repaid for the destroyed tea. Colonists in turn responded to the Coercive Acts with additional acts of protest, and by convening the First Continental Congress, which petitioned the British monarch for repeal of the acts and coordinated colonial resistance to them. The crisis escalated, and the American Revolutionary War began near Boston in 1775.
   
Patriot Depot
T.E.A. Party Bumper Sticker
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T.E.A. TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY! The Tea Party protests, in their current form, began in early 2009 when Rick Santelli, the On Air Editor for CNBC, set out on a rant to expose the bankrupt liberal agenda of the White House Administration and Congress. Specifically, the flawed “Stimulus Bill” and pork filled budget. A few days later, grassroots activists and average Joe Americans began organizing what would soon become the Nationwide Chicago Tea Party effort.
 
On February 27th, an estimated 300,000 Americans took to the street in 40+ cities across the country in the first nationwide “Tea Party” protest. Organizers of the February 27th events pledged to continue on with an even bigger and better protest to follow the first.
 
On April 15th, “Tax Day,” a second round of protests were held in more than 3,000 cities around the country.
 
A third round of protests are already scheduled for July 4th! We’ve had enough taxes—especially when they’re used to bailout out the bums! Get this historic sticker while supplies last!

. 5” x 4”
. Non-residue
. Anti-Fade
 
Google Books
April 1994, Cincinnati (OH) Magainse, “Rebels Without a Cause” by Skip Tate, pg. 37, col. 1:
But (Brenda—ed.) Kuhn is also the brainchild and emotional sparkplug behind a thriving groundroots movement—Taxed Enough Already, or TEA for short. (...) Prompted by an off-the-cuff comment she made on a Mike McMurray talk show, Kuhn—with no apologies to Samuel Adams—founded TEA last April 15. She hauled a rowboat out on Fountain Square and held her own version of the Boston Tea Party, handing out 4,000 tea bags donated by a Georgia-based tea manufacturer, all hand-stamped with “Cut Taxes” and “Freeze Spending” tags.
 
18 December 1994, Dallas (TX) Morning News, “Taking their protest to the river”:
Roy Davis (with sign) and Dave Swanson (carrying umbrella) join members of the Taxed Enough Already group on the Mainstreet Bridge in North Little Rock, Ark., on Friday.
 
Google Books
January 1995, Cincinnati (OH) Magazine, pg. 51, col. 1:
Meanwhile, the local Taxed Enough Already (TEA) group weighs in with an old-fashioned Boston Tea Party on Fountain Square, protesting that taxes are now the biggest item in any family’s budget—about 40 percent of income.
     
America’s Revival Discussion Board
moderator
03-19-2009, 03:37 PM
AFA to sponsor TEA parties in 1000 cities on April 15
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael DePrimo
662-844-5036 x236

March 10, 2009

AFA to sponsor TEA parties in 1000 cities on April 15
Leader says solution to financial problems above pay grade of Pres. Obama, Congress
 
TUPELO, MS - American Family Association (AFA) says it is planning Taxed Enough Already (TEA) party rallies in 1,000 cities and towns on April 15. The TEA parties will be held at noon in front of city halls across the country.
 
AFA is only one of many organizations planning TEA party rallies. April 15 was chosen because that is the day income tax returns are due. “We developed http://www.teapartyday.com as an Internet site for information.
 
(Trademark)
Word Mark TEA TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY INC.
Goods and Services (CANCELLED) IC 042. US 100 101. G & S: association services, namely promoting public awareness for the need to know that taxpayers are taxed enough. FIRST USE: 19940401. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19940401
Mark Drawing Code (3) DESIGN PLUS WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS
Design Search Code 24.09.05 - American flags; Flags, American
26.01.02 - Circles, plain single line; Plain single line circles
26.01.17 - Circles, two concentric; Concentric circles, two; Two concentric circles
Serial Number 74627310
Filing Date January 30, 1995
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Published for Opposition October 3, 1995
Registration Number 1944169
Registration Date December 26, 1995
Owner (REGISTRANT) Taxed Enough Already Incorporated CORPORATION OHIO 181 Assisiknoll Drive Cincinnati OHIO 45238
Disclaimer NO CLAIM IS MADE TO THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO USE “TAXED ENOUGH” and “INC.” APART FROM THE MARK AS SHOWN
Description of Mark The stippling is a feature of the mark and does not indicate color.
Type of Mark SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD
Cancellation Date September 28, 2002
   
(Trademark)
Word Mark TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY
Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: car tea bag magnet
Mark Drawing Code (3) DESIGN PLUS WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS
Design Search Code 19.07.13 - Bags, Laundry; Laundry bags; Money bags; Sachet bags; Tea bag
Serial Number 76697064
Filing Date April 24, 2009
Current Filing Basis 1B
Original Filing Basis 1B
Owner (APPLICANT) Taxed Enough Already, LLC UNKNOWN UNITED STATES 533 Antigua Avenue Tavares FLORIDA 32778
Attorney of Record Frank A. Lukasik
Description of Mark Color is not claimed as a feature of the mark.
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE