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Friday, September 18, 2009
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People at Tea Party told to make noise
Associate Editor Critics of government - from President Obama's health care plan to Baxter city government - marked Constitution Day at the Brainerd Lakes Area Welcome Center with a Tea Party open microphone session that drew more than 100 people Thursday night.
David Allan Pundt, the 2008 Republican candidate for House District 12A and vice chair of the Crow Wing County Republican Executive Board, again served as the opening speaker. He led off the April 15 Tea Party at Kiwanis Park in Brainerd.
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A crowd of approximately 100 people attended the Tea Party protest Thursday at the Brainerd Lakes Area Welcome Center . Speakers from the crowd talked about solutions to the problems associated with the Obama administration. For more photos from the Tea Party protest go to Spotted@brainerddispatch.com. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
» Purchase reprints of this photo.
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He said the U.S. has a huge oppressive government that hands out goodies to various constituencies. He urged the crowd to elect people who were willing to unravel that government.
"This is our chance to rant," Pundt said. "This is the beginning of a long struggle to take this country back."
George Burton, of rural Brainerd, the organizer of the event, encouraged people to step forward and voice their opinions.
"This is your chance," he said. "Instead of yelling at the wife and the television you can yell at somebody new."
One woman was met with applause when she said Burton would run for the Eighth District seat in Congress against Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., Burton could not be contacted Thursday night to react to her comment.
Bob Miller, 72, of Baxter, accused the Brainerd Dispatch of "newspaper trickery" because it had a headline that cited a 2 percent tax rate increase for Baxter and then a news story in "fine print" that cited a 2.43 percent tax rate increase. He said he was one of the few citizens to regularly attend Baxter City Council meetings and criticized city officials for the way they treat him.
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A crowd of approximately 100 people attended the Tea Party protest Thursday at the Brainerd Lakes Area Welcome Center . Speakers from the crowd talked about solutions to the problems associated with the Obama administration. For more photos from the Tea Party protest go to Spotted@brainerddispatch.com. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
» Purchase reprints of this photo.
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"They treat me with the most disdain and smarmy attitude," he said. "I'm fed with ambiguities and guarded replies."
The Brainerd Lakes Area Development Corp. was criticized by Miller for taking credit when jobs are established in the area but not taking the blame when they leave. He described the organization as a tax-funded welfare recipient.
Guy Green of Brainerd delivered portions of his presentation in the voice of Ronald Reagan and admonished the mainstream media to take note of who the participants at the rally were.
"We are Republicans," he said. "We are Democrats. We are independents. We are Americans and we practice Americanism and that is one -ism we won't apologize for."
Guy recalled House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's reaction to the congressman who told President Barack Obama "you lie" and how "all the Botox rolled out of her face." He said the days of double standards and no standards were over.
"We're going to continue to cling to our God and we're going to cling to our Constitution," he said. "It isn't America's chickens that are coming home to roost. It's America's patriots coming home to roost."
Dale Walz, a former Republican House District 12A representative, asked for a show of hands and congratulated those people who indicated they had read the Constitution. He urged government officials to stop spending the nation into oblivion and stop taxing citizens to death.
"This is our country," he said. "We're not merely pawns to the Washington elitists. It is our time. It is time for us to take our country back."
Paul Gazelka, a recently announced Republican candidate for Senate District 12, cited polls that indicated 85 percent of Americans were satisfied with their health care.
"Why do we want to change the best health care insurance in the world?" he asked.
He said we needed a health care system with affordability, accessibility and quality. He also termed cap and trade legislation as "crazy" and described his position on immigration.
"Come here legally and be a part of our system and we will welcome you with open arms," he said. "Come here illegally and don't expect a free lunch."
Marie Bode criticized the Obama health care package, the stimulus package, the ACORN organization and Oberstar for not conducting any town meetings.
"We're being led to socialism," he said.
Elizabeth Ward said cap and trade legislation would increase electric bills and she also criticized health care reform. She said Obama is undermining the Constitution but urged people to devote time to prayer so God would intervene.
Doug Kern, Crow Wing County Republican chair, said many people who voted for the president are now suffering from buyer's remorse. He urged people to start locally and get involved in the political process.
Marv Begin of Fort Ripley was the only speaker to receive a negative reaction from the crowd when he said he was for a single payer health care plan and a man challenged his assertion that Rwanda was more advanced with its national health care plan than the U.S.
Gordy Hardy credited television's Glenn Beck with exposing Van Jones, an Obama official who recently left the administration. Hardy said if anyone killed Beck militias would form across the country.
MIKE O'ROURKE may be reached at mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5860.
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