Published: August 30, 2009 12:53 am
Residents speak out at TEA party
Event draws crowd at park
BY BRIAN L. HUCHEL
Commercial-News
DANVILLE — Area residents voiced displeasure with current government at a Taxed Enough Already event on Saturday.
The gathering — dubbed a TEA party — brought in a large crowd for the three-hour event in Lincoln Park on North Logan Avenue that featured speakers on the American Constitution, Second Amendment rights and taxes.
Terry Eaglan of Danville was among the residents attending the event. He said people didn’t have to be Republican or Democrat to be upset with government practices right now.
“The politicians are not listening to us,” he said. “They’re running wild right now.”
That sentiment was easily discernible from the crowd, which featured several American flags — both small and large — as well as signs ranging from “Don’t Tread on the Constitution” and “We the People Say Do It Our Way or Get Thrown Out.”
Eaglan said the event was an eye-opener for him and how much government has stepped away from Constitutional rights.
“It really wakes you up,” he said.
For Vermilion County resident Scott Crawford, the issue is different but the feelings are the same. Crawford, who lives in Ridge Farm, voiced his own concerns about taxation — specifically the elimination of the estate tax — as he listened to the TEA party speakers from his folding lawn chair, a small American flag at his side.
He said members of the crowd at Lincoln Park on Saturday afternoon don’t have to be upset about the same issue to stand against government practices.
“There’s a lot of people that have different interests on a lot of government issues,” he said. “(For) some, it’s health care, some it’s guns, some it’s taxes.
“All of them are concerned about the overall problems with government.”
Saturday’s event was the first TEA party to take place in Danville. Two others were held earlier in Champaign County.
Speakers earned a number of calls of agreement from crowd members during their speeches. Chuck Young, a speaker on American history at the TEA party and member of the coordinating committee, said the turnout was excellent.
“There’s a lot of frustration in the crowd,” said the Champaign resident. He spoke to the crowd and walked among audience members in American Revolution-era attire.
Commercial-News
DANVILLE — Area residents voiced displeasure with current government at a Taxed Enough Already event on Saturday.
The gathering — dubbed a TEA party — brought in a large crowd for the three-hour event in Lincoln Park on North Logan Avenue that featured speakers on the American Constitution, Second Amendment rights and taxes.
Terry Eaglan of Danville was among the residents attending the event. He said people didn’t have to be Republican or Democrat to be upset with government practices right now.
“The politicians are not listening to us,” he said. “They’re running wild right now.”
That sentiment was easily discernible from the crowd, which featured several American flags — both small and large — as well as signs ranging from “Don’t Tread on the Constitution” and “We the People Say Do It Our Way or Get Thrown Out.”
Eaglan said the event was an eye-opener for him and how much government has stepped away from Constitutional rights.
“It really wakes you up,” he said.
For Vermilion County resident Scott Crawford, the issue is different but the feelings are the same. Crawford, who lives in Ridge Farm, voiced his own concerns about taxation — specifically the elimination of the estate tax — as he listened to the TEA party speakers from his folding lawn chair, a small American flag at his side.
He said members of the crowd at Lincoln Park on Saturday afternoon don’t have to be upset about the same issue to stand against government practices.
“There’s a lot of people that have different interests on a lot of government issues,” he said. “(For) some, it’s health care, some it’s guns, some it’s taxes.
“All of them are concerned about the overall problems with government.”
Saturday’s event was the first TEA party to take place in Danville. Two others were held earlier in Champaign County.
Speakers earned a number of calls of agreement from crowd members during their speeches. Chuck Young, a speaker on American history at the TEA party and member of the coordinating committee, said the turnout was excellent.
“There’s a lot of frustration in the crowd,” said the Champaign resident. He spoke to the crowd and walked among audience members in American Revolution-era attire.
