Thousands of Tea Party activists are gearing up for Tax Day rallies around San Diego County. The demonstrations are part of a nationwide movement against taxes and government spending. There are at least seven rallies planned in the county, and more than 75 statewide.
While some San Diego residents are scrambling to mail their taxes, others will be on street corners rallying for lower taxes and government reform.
The Oceanside-based Tea Party group Stop Taxing Us is holding its second annual rally at the Oceanside Pier Amphitheater. Spokeswoman Dana Matas said 5,000 protesters showed up last year. She's hoping this year’s event will draw even more.
"This out-of-control spending is a really scary thing. Particularly for parents who have children and what that means for their grandchildren," said Matas. "We don’t want them so burdened with taxes that they don’t feel the desire or motivation to achieve what we’ve all come to know as the American Dream."
While Tea Partiers are rallying, the newly-formed Coffee Party will be brewing up a quieter discussion. Shane Finneran, the San Diego chapter leader, said the Coffee Party started its own movement for change because they were turned off by the Tea Party’s loud, anti-government protests.
"We prefer to take the opportunity for less division in politics," he said. "We’re all accustomed to the idea of left vs. right, Democrat vs. Republican, maybe even coffee vs. tea. The truth is, it’s so much of that "A vs. B" stuff – it’s just a distraction from the real issue. And the chief issue is how we can work together to mend our system," he said.
Activists on both sides agree they’ve emerged for similar reasons. They hope to get their messages out and make an impact well beyond tax day.
