Katie Couric's Notebook: Tea Parties

Topics: Katie Couric's Notebook

(AP)

Katie's off today. I'm Maggie Rodriguez.

It was a major catalyst for our independence from Britain: the tea party in Boston harbor 235 years ago. And it seems Americans have been grumbling about their paying taxes ever since ... just not quite like this.

A grassroots campaign that started in Seattle just two months ago has spread across the internet at cyber-speed. The result: hundreds of rallies in all 50 states today. These tea parties -- an acronym for Taxed Enough Already -- gave taxpayers a chance to voice their outrage over what they see as out of control government spending with so much of their money handed out in the stimulus package.

On this final day to file our tax returns, the cry is not "taxation without representation" -- but like in that first tea party in Boston, many Americans today are fed up. They want politicians to hear them and they want to send a message to bailed out companies that the party's over.

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by Chiefoware April 18, 2009 8:44 PM EDT: The tax complaints overwhelmingly appeared to be against President Obama. Why? He promised to lower the taxes for the greater portion of Americans during his campaign. Since he has been in office he has put forth his recommendation to do just that. He promised to let the tax benefits giving to the wealthier Americans run its course and then go back to the tax level that existed under former President Clinton. Given these factual statements, what is the real reason for these protests? I saw many demeaning signs with bigoted statements aimed at President Obama. It seems that a certain segment of the American populace is having a difficult time accepting the direction that the majority of Americans voted for on November 4, 2008. I don't know if anything can change the behaviors or attitudes of the disgruntled minority, but the hostility an accusations aligning President Obama with the concept of the "anti-Christ" is disappointing.; Reply to this comment


by mattcat25 April 17, 2009 5:09 PM EDT: Rush Limbaugh has called for support from his Party to wish for President Obama to fail, if the policies set forth by this (clean-up) Administration fail the United States of America will Fail.

Now, at least two Republican Governors (Perry and Palin) are promoting and inciting sedition by the residents of their states against the United States of America.

When are the Republicans going to display (not just talk) some kind of Patriotism, Support, and positive effective ACTIONS that will be a benefit to the People of the United States of America?; Reply to this comment


by timmaguire April 17, 2009 2:39 PM EDT: This is one of the fairest treatments of the Tea Parties I've seen. It's unfortunate that so many people are threatened by Americans exercising their constitutional rights, but for some reason, they are.

Glad to see you are not. I wish a long and successful career.; Reply to this comment


by mtelles April 16, 2009 4:31 PM EDT: As an aspiring television news broadcaster at San Diego State University, I attended the San Diego Tax Day Tea Party Protest last Saturday. As a college reporter, I captured interviews with college protestors and created a story that I would really like you to check out...

http://palestra.net/users/profiles/3622

Also Katie, if you were in my position, a sophomore, journalism major at SDSU, planning on transferring to a school with a more qualified journalism program, would you recommend USC Annenberg or the new Phoenix Walter Cronkite School? I noticed on your twitter you went to Annenberg the other day to receive a Walter Cronkite award and I was completely compelled to ask you this question and seek advice from a woman who I have watched make it in the industry. I work hard now Katie, to be the next woman to walk in your shoes.

Megan Telles
SDSU; Reply to this comment


by mosescat April 16, 2009 2:06 PM EDT: I felt like I woke up behind the old Iron Curtain this morning! I am not even a Fox News fan, but I was appalled that the three networks didn't mention the Tea Parties on their morning shows!!!!! As a former journalist, I am disgusted that CBS, ABC and NBC are not reporting NEWS -- they report that which supports their views. This is a scary country.; Reply to this comment


by MKS7 April 16, 2009 12:16 PM EDT: The current budget calls for taxes to be paid by children and grandchildren not yet born. They did not vote for the present administration or Congress. That IS taxation without representation. Hence, the TEA parties, which I hope also become TLFT = Term Limit, Fair Tax = Today's Liberation From Tyranny parties.; Reply to this comment


by danagarnett April 16, 2009 11:31 AM EDT: Thank you -- For doing the right thing and acknowledging the tea party actually took place!! Our fearless leader was evidently kept in the dark about this Huge American protest. I'm not sure why, other that he and his disciples must have been hot on the trail of some homeland terrorists... otherwise known as non-abortion supporters, non-immigration supporters and United States Veterans, or at least Homeland Security thinks of them as terrorists.

Sorry, I digress... Anyway, to be fair to the American people, the 'left' media should at least have shown some of the tax rally since half a Million showed up as the Voice of the People -- neither 'right' nor 'left'. We must keep our nation FOR the People and BY the people. We the People spoke last night.

Thanks for the acknowledgment. Hopefully we can move on to fair and balanced reporting at a later date!; Reply to this comment


by sonnyl26 April 16, 2009 9:54 AM EDT: To anyone who is against the T.E.A. Parties from around the country yesterday:
Even if you believe that the tax system is fair, even if you think we need to pay more in taxes, and/or if you believe that the stimulus package was the right thing to do, you can't tell me that we are well represented if no one reads a trillion dollar bill before signing it into law and if lobbyist have more power than The People. The question is, is the tax money we are sending to these lawyers and career politicians, who we have elected to Congress, being spent in a way that actually gets put toward policies and programs with which we agree or even know about. Look at the people we have in Congress, because they will still be there 20 years from now. Career politicians on both sides of the isle are killing this country and strangling our economy. There are no new ideas and until we have TERM LIMITS there never will be anything but the same old ideas with new flashy names. If you want real CHANGE start pressuring your Reps to institute TERM LIMITS.; Reply to this comment


by Coffee2600 April 16, 2009 9:07 AM EDT: Maggie Rodriguez gets it.; Reply to this comment


by PriceOfTeaInChina April 16, 2009 2:51 AM EDT: The only thing these new "tea parties" have in common with the original Boston Tea Party is that it's about taxes. Other than that, the current situation is not at the same.

"Colonists objected to the Tea Act for a variety of reasons, especially because they believed that it violated their constitutional right to be taxed only by their own elected representatives." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Tea_Party

We are indeed being taxed by our own elected representatives.

I think standing so firmly against raising our own taxes during a time of our own economic decline is crazy. Sort of like being firmly against giving up bacon after you've had several heart attacks.; Reply to this comment