Wichita tea party paid its expenses

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After Friday’s American Tea Party in Wichita, complaints rolled in. The Wichita Eagle article reporting on the event drew over 200 comments, many complaining about one or another aspect of over 700 people gathering for a peaceful event.

In particular, the squawking of one member of the Kansas House of Representatives only revealed the ignorance of the speaker in his attempt at finding irony. As reported on the Wichita Eagle’s editorial blog: “‘We need taxes to support their protests.’ — Rep. Dale Swenson, D-Wichita, about how Friday’s anti-tax tea party was held at the county-owned and taxpayer-supported Sedgwick County Park.”

As reported in the following submission by event organizer Lynda Tyler, the tea party paid quite a sum in order to use the park.

Those who came to the TEA party had an enjoyable evening. The compliments were 10 to 1 over complaints and frankly those were all valid complaints that could only have been fixed with more resources.

What gets me are those who like to hide behind their computer and nip at the ankles of those who are actually getting off their buttocks and doing something. Even if that something is waving a flag and socializing with like minded individuals. But there are two reoccurring comments that are really getting to me and I would like to address them.

One is the criticisms is the “irony” of holding the event at a public park. They claim that the “taxpayers paid for our protest.” Taxpayers paid for our protest about as much as they pay for any other event held out there. We were charged a large event rental of the property of $310. Since we were following the laws and contracts we had to pay for our own $500,000 liability insurance policy to protect the public lands against damage. That policy cost $682. Then instead of depending on tax paid facilities our contract with the county required we supply our own portable restrooms, trash bins and trash pickup of $580. The county sheriff’s department required that we hire two off duty officers for $240. During setup we discovered that there is barely enough power there to run a hair dryer so we had to rent a generator to run the food vendors for another $72. So all in all our “public park” cost us $1,884 to use. Did any of you pay that for your kids’ birthday party or to walk your dog out there?

Now had we done this the way most liberal protests we have seen over the years, we would have gone downtown (without permits), walked down the middle of the street during rush hour (blocking traffic), assaulted those in opposition (like the police), turned over and set fire to any cars that got in the way (destroyed property), thrown rocks through business windows (destroying property without insurance), and the county (tax payer) would not only have to pay for the clean up but for the police who had to use riot gear to stop the protest and then the expenses of arresting some protesters, pay for their public defender attorney and possibly pay for their room and board while the protester was in jail.

None of that happened at our TEA Party. All were welcome and nobody got hurt, arrested, or assaulted. There was very little trash to pick up after it was over and the vendors and groups were all very happy. We had people of opposing views there and they were treated with respect and welcomed to participate.

Comments

11 responses to “Wichita tea party paid its expenses”

  1. James

    Absolutely dead on Bob!

  2. I’m very happy it was a success Bob.
    When both sides can get past the name calling, picking at each other or wasting valuable time finding fault in one another, we may actually be able to have honest and productive debates and get something done in this country.
    The way it’s going now our country is slipping from our grasp as the politics destroy us. Certainly we are destined as Rome when the people are blind to what’s happening to the country they claim to love.

  3. Benjamin

    Poor liberals…… they just can not seem to awake from their deep sleep. They will wake up to the tyranny soon enough.

  4. For 8 years we liberals protested against George Bush & Dick Cheney for rewriting & redefining laws of our nation so they could break them, for spying on Americans starting in February 2001 (well before 9/11!), for spending our nation into debt because of 2 wars and tax cuts for the top 5% of the country, for doing nothing about the housing market or the credit/banking industry, for torturing people in secret CIA prisons around the world, for the over 900 signing statements George Bush gave himself to ignore the laws once again, and we protested to bring our troops home, but yet, you ninnies DID NOTHING for those 8 years, but suddenly…..you’re the ‘awake ones’ and we liberals are asleep? HIGH-sterical!

    Did you know George Bush’s 2009 budget is still in effect and will end in October 2009? Oh probably not! You ninnies didn’t pay attention for 8 years so why would you understand what has gone on or how things work!

    We had tyranny for 8 years (don’t forget! “Freedom” to George Bush was to protest him in a cage miles from where he stood anywhere on the planet! Under Obama, guns are allowed to be brought to his town hall meetings!) and you ninnes WERE ASLEEP. You still are asleep, but now you have your heads up your asses.

  5. Clark

    Kay…you are one angry person. I truly hope you are in Maine…far far away. I must admit you have lived up to my expectations re liberals: lack of vocabulary, ranting and name calling.

    P.S. We were sleeping (every night) because we knew this country was safe thanks to Bush and Cheney. And then we woke up and went to work.

  6. KayInMaine,

    It’s Boooooooosh’s fault!

  7. JayMagoo

    Too bad you people didn’t read what KayInMaine wrote before you started to tear it apart. Go back and read it and you’ll see that Bush and Cheney put this country in the toilet and now that Obama, who was elected by a substantial majority, is trying to put things back together, all you sound-asleep conservatives and Republicans can do nothing but shout and disrupt. Tea parties? Sounds a lot like the old “Know Nothing Party” who lived up to their name, knew nothing, and shouted loudly; a lot like today’s Republicans.

  8. Hank

    Can’t wait for the next election. Maybe we can get someone other than Dale Swenson to represent us. His comment once again assured me he has no business being in office!

  9. Benjamin

    Who said I was a republican? Who said I was a conservative? Bush and pals were tyrants! So was his dad and even Clinton. Your dear fascist JOKER Obama is no different. Still in Iraq, adding tens of thousands of troops to Afghanistan for no reason. I don’t see you libs out in the streets on on your state ran news protesting or moaning about that! I wonder which false flag your dear High Chancellor Obama will pull? His poll numbers are in the crapper. Hey JayMagoo- don’t forget you live in a REPUBLIC and not a democracy.

    Hey Swenson! Get your resume ready!

  10. […] to put on the event. It’s much the same information as in her statement presented in my post Wichita tea party paid its expenses from […]

  11. Ann H.

    KayInMaine, I am NOT in the top 5% of of income-earners but our family got a tax cut under Bush. Get your facts straight! Besides, the top percentage of income earners pay the vast majority of taxes, so even though they got the most back, they were only getting back a *fraction* of what they paid in!! Neither did the tax cuts cause the deficit. Out-of-control spending by BOTH parties did.

    And you’re so up in arms about BUSH spending this country into debt? Yes he did, and it was one of the things I most disliked about him, but if you’re going to complain about THAT, why not complain about Obama, who has only increased it dramatically! He and Congress are spending us into debt far faster than anyone by FAR! Your hypocrisy is stunning!! I could say “HIGH-sterical” right back at you, but it’s not funny, it’s pathetic!!!

    Also truly pathetic is accusing the Bush administration of doing nothing about the housing/credit crisis. They didn’t do enough, but they at least did make some tries. It was chiefly the DEMOCRATS who orchestrated it, pushed it, and caused it all while trying to reassure everyone that nothing was wrong or going to go wrong. Those on the other side of the aisle who wanted a little oversight were slapped down.

    Apparently everything wrong with the US until the end of time will be all Bush’s fault, even though Obama is still carrying on most of the policies that the left complained about so much under Bush. Now all we hear about it from the left is the sound of crickets chirping.

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