Tax Protests - July 4th

[wind_magic]

I am curious who will be protesting on July 4th ?

I was unable to attend the local gathering on April 15th, but I should have more time on July 4th, so I am already planning to come out. It is exciting to see that there are people who are coming together to talk about some of these issues. I know that for the longest time I have been discouraged about the rising debt level in this country, about the incredible amount of spending, etc, and now the devaluation of the currency, so it is great to see people finally having a discussion about these issues.

Will you be coming out on the 4th of July ?


EDIT: This thread got off to a rough start, so .. PLEASE, if you want to berate and belittle tax protesters, convince them they are wrong, talk smack on people, etc, all of that happens in other threads including Craigimass's "teabagging" thread. This thread is for discussing actual plans to protest on July 4th of 2009. Thank you for your cooperation.

Here is a link to Craigimass's tea bagging thread

[AdamLein]

I'm ashamed to admit I don't really know how a tax protest works. My intuition is that you boycott taxes that day. However I have a suspicion that my instinct is wrong here, and that it's really some sort of sign-carrying, slogan-hollering, fist-shaking shindig in the streets. The kind of thing that happens on a weekly basis in Beautiful British Columbia and that never changes anything, but is noisy.

[wind_magic]

Originally Posted by AdamLein

I'm ashamed to admit I don't really know how a tax protest works. My intuition is that you boycott taxes that day. However I have a suspicion that my instinct is wrong here, and that it's really some sort of sign-carrying, slogan-hollering, fist-shaking shindig in the streets. The kind of thing that happens on a weekly basis in Beautiful British Columbia and that never changes anything, but is noisy.

Well, I could not really tell you what it is like AdamLein, I have never participated in a protest of any kind before. I would think it will be a lot of sign carrying, probably a lot like the disaffected misanthropes who usually protest, except in this case it is older fatter people who have children and jobs.

[AdamLein]

Well I propose to those people that they find a more effective means of voicing their displeasure. I wonder, how many people not paying income taxes would it take before it was no longer cost effective to prosecute them all? Then again, I suppose nobody wants to be the lucky one who does get prosecuted...

Anyway seriously I'm all for protests. But even in the most grown-up form I can think of -- petitions to elected leaders telling them their job security is on the line here -- are still worthless unless the protesters are in the majority.

[craigimass]

July 4th seems like an awful day to protest.......like doing it on Xmas, etc.

It is a birthday party day........

Protest is fine, but to do it on a day when Americana is in full swing....well, seems sort of weird.

It would be one thing if we were on a precipice - like nuclear war and that was the only day to do it. Otherwise - seems like a party pooper - and you know NO ONE likes party poopers.

[craigimass]

Originally Posted by wind_magic

now the devaluation of the currency,

I must have missed that one. My dollar is buying twice as much gas as it did last year at this time. It is also buying more of just about EVERYTHING......

It's fun having a couple dollars these days.....the service has improved.....greatly, because people understand that money is harder to come by.

Deflation is the name.....your cash going FAR is the game. Buy more of anything for less now. That certainly is not worth protesting against.

Even by international standards, the dollar is getting stronger....ask the Brits!

First rule of protest. Know what you are protesting and don't protest things which are not true.

[wind_magic]

Originally Posted by craigimass

I must have missed that one. My dollar is buying twice as much gas as it did last year at this time. It is also buying more of just about EVERYTHING......

It's fun having a couple dollars these days.....the service has improved.....greatly, because people understand that money is harder to come by.

Deflation is the name.....your cash going FAR is the game. Buy more of anything for less now. That certainly is not worth protesting against.

Even by international standards, the dollar is getting stronger....ask the Brits!

Yes, yes, Craigimass, we all know about deflation, we've been talking about it here in the market crash thread since before the market topped. Here is one post about it, I could provide 10 more easily ... LINK. The deflation will go on and get much worse, but what we're talking about is what is going to come after that ...

First rule of protest. Know what you are protesting and don't protest things which are not true.

First rule of talking down to people like you know more than they do is to actually know more than they do.

[PBzeer]

I'd be less than honest windy, if I didn't admit I was waiting for that last sentence.

Much like the promise of hope and change that motivated people to vote for Obama, there is a growing unease that perhaps it's not the hope and change we thought it was. The bottle of snake-oil is empty, but the arthritis isn't gone. So far, it's just a bit of buyer's remorse. The question now is, will it become feeling suckered?

[artbyjody]

Its not really deflation - its the prices becoming what they should be in most cases, in others artificial. One thing about market prices is that if their is a reason to jack prices up its an instant one, when those influences are removed - prices stay the same as they are already expected to be expected by the consumer. Not a wise idea in economic times as such because nothing really is ever what it it is retailed to be worth...

[Micksan]

I don't feel like it is the presidents attention we need to get the attention of. Most if not all of the excessive spending either starts or is passed ( W/o being read ) in congress. The protests will probably not get the attention of the Whitehouse , but it will for all of the representatives who will be coming around next year begging for your vote so they will not be unemployed .
My grandfather from Ireland use to tell me was "The best way to keep a politician honest was to keep reminding him your watching him".
BTW I'll be out celebrating the 4th by exercising my RIGHT to disagree with my government.