Home
News
ENLARGE
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado — Tim Kinion says he’ll probably be working a few more decades until he’s 80 just to get his kids through college.
He was one of a group of people that gathered at a tax day tea party in front of the Garfield County Courthouse in Glenwood Springs Wednesday to voice discontent with government spending and tax policies.
“They’re spending my kids’ money before they even earn it,” he said. “My 401K’s worth nothing. My stocks with GM and Ford are worth nothing. I’ll probably be working until I’m 80 trying to get my kids through college.”
Kinion rents homes and works in the oil and gas industry. He said fear about higher taxing and spending under President Barack Obama’s administration, state regulation of the oil and gas industry and poor economic conditions have driven industries like oil and gas and construction out of Garfield County. Others say industry declines are strictly due to economic conditions.
Marilyn Oden, secretary of the county’s Republican party, said, “We like a just right sized government — one that we can afford. And we like to have jobs to work.” She added, “We’re unhappy with government.”
District Attorney Martin Beeson made an appearance at the tea party, delivering a brief speech from atop a picnic table in front of the courthouse. He at one point yelled questions directed at President Barack Obama and Democrats U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, Rep. Nanci Pelosi and Colorado congressman John Salazar.
“I’m not here today as your District Attorney, I’m here as a taxpaying American, and I’m fed up with out of control spending, irresponsible spending and burdensome taxes,” Beeson said. “I work hard for what I do and the fruits of my labor should be mine and my family’s.”
He said current policies under Obama, Reid and Pelosi are leading to an “unprecedented expansion of government power.” Beeson added, “Mr. Obama, keep your hands out of my pocket. Ms. Pelosi, keep your hands out of my pocket. Mr. Reid, Keep your hands out of my pocket. Mr. Salazar, keep your hands out of my pocket.”
He said, “You are not free to determine the winners and losers in this economy,” take over our banks, send the country into more debt and “steal from our grandchildren.”
Beeson first took office in January 2006. The 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office budget has increased from $1.3 million in 2006 to $2.2 million approved for 2009. County budget analyst Theresa Wagenman said in an e-mail that was mostly due to county commissioners approving additional staff positions and a three-year plan starting in 2007 to achieve more competitive pay for District Attorney’s Office employees.
County Democratic party chair Ed Sands said in a phone interview that complaints about taxing and spending policies are mostly “coming from a select few, a bunch of nay-sayers that certainly don’t represent a majority view that is out there in the public. President Obama and Congress have cut taxes for 95 percent of the people earning income.”
Sands said the Obama administration inherited a budget deficit and the economic crisis when he took office and the increased spending is a temporary plan to deal with the economic crisis. He said Republicans racked up “record deficits” when they controlled the presidency and Congress, but they are only now complaining.
Stephen Ridgway said he came to Wednesday’s tea party “because I’m tired of my tax dollars being wasted and being over-taxed and under-serviced.”
Ridgway, a 32-year-old audio engineer, said he pays a higher tax for self-employment that helps pay unemployment, but he would not be eligible to receive unemployment since he’s self-employed. About social security taxes and benefits, he said, “I’m paying, paying, paying and it’s money I’ll probably never see any return on because by the time I’m old enough there probably won’t be enough left.”
Ridgway called Obama’s budget plan “outrageous” and said it’s a “massive spending increase without any real improvement in terms of what we’re spending money on.”
Contact Pete Fowler: 384-9121
pfowler@postindependent.com
Post Independent, Glenwood Springs Colorado CO
He was one of a group of people that gathered at a tax day tea party in front of the Garfield County Courthouse in Glenwood Springs Wednesday to voice discontent with government spending and tax policies.
“They’re spending my kids’ money before they even earn it,” he said. “My 401K’s worth nothing. My stocks with GM and Ford are worth nothing. I’ll probably be working until I’m 80 trying to get my kids through college.”
Kinion rents homes and works in the oil and gas industry. He said fear about higher taxing and spending under President Barack Obama’s administration, state regulation of the oil and gas industry and poor economic conditions have driven industries like oil and gas and construction out of Garfield County. Others say industry declines are strictly due to economic conditions.
Marilyn Oden, secretary of the county’s Republican party, said, “We like a just right sized government — one that we can afford. And we like to have jobs to work.” She added, “We’re unhappy with government.”
District Attorney Martin Beeson made an appearance at the tea party, delivering a brief speech from atop a picnic table in front of the courthouse. He at one point yelled questions directed at President Barack Obama and Democrats U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, Rep. Nanci Pelosi and Colorado congressman John Salazar.
“I’m not here today as your District Attorney, I’m here as a taxpaying American, and I’m fed up with out of control spending, irresponsible spending and burdensome taxes,” Beeson said. “I work hard for what I do and the fruits of my labor should be mine and my family’s.”
He said current policies under Obama, Reid and Pelosi are leading to an “unprecedented expansion of government power.” Beeson added, “Mr. Obama, keep your hands out of my pocket. Ms. Pelosi, keep your hands out of my pocket. Mr. Reid, Keep your hands out of my pocket. Mr. Salazar, keep your hands out of my pocket.”
He said, “You are not free to determine the winners and losers in this economy,” take over our banks, send the country into more debt and “steal from our grandchildren.”
Beeson first took office in January 2006. The 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office budget has increased from $1.3 million in 2006 to $2.2 million approved for 2009. County budget analyst Theresa Wagenman said in an e-mail that was mostly due to county commissioners approving additional staff positions and a three-year plan starting in 2007 to achieve more competitive pay for District Attorney’s Office employees.
County Democratic party chair Ed Sands said in a phone interview that complaints about taxing and spending policies are mostly “coming from a select few, a bunch of nay-sayers that certainly don’t represent a majority view that is out there in the public. President Obama and Congress have cut taxes for 95 percent of the people earning income.”
Sands said the Obama administration inherited a budget deficit and the economic crisis when he took office and the increased spending is a temporary plan to deal with the economic crisis. He said Republicans racked up “record deficits” when they controlled the presidency and Congress, but they are only now complaining.
Stephen Ridgway said he came to Wednesday’s tea party “because I’m tired of my tax dollars being wasted and being over-taxed and under-serviced.”
Ridgway, a 32-year-old audio engineer, said he pays a higher tax for self-employment that helps pay unemployment, but he would not be eligible to receive unemployment since he’s self-employed. About social security taxes and benefits, he said, “I’m paying, paying, paying and it’s money I’ll probably never see any return on because by the time I’m old enough there probably won’t be enough left.”
Ridgway called Obama’s budget plan “outrageous” and said it’s a “massive spending increase without any real improvement in terms of what we’re spending money on.”
Contact Pete Fowler: 384-9121
pfowler@postindependent.com
Post Independent, Glenwood Springs Colorado CO
Tax day tea party
• Hundreds of tax day tea parties were organized around the U.S. Wednesday to protest taxing and spending policies in the spirit of the Boston Tea Party of 1773, in which colonialists protested British taxation without representation.
|
