By Siebert Ickler
County Central Committee members made signs and are shown peaceably demonstrating on the street corners by the Main Post Office and Las Cruces City Hall. It is a sad commentary on the state of our country that we all assumed we'd need a permit but a relief to report that we still do have the freedom to demonstrate without one. Tax day protests are a tradition in the Libertarian Party and usually well received, generating some interest in the party or at least getting our name in front of the voters. As reported by other Libertarians, the "Honk if you Hate Taxes" signs generated the most feedback. We got a lot of honks and waves especially when the line to the mail drop was backed up into the intersection. The sun and wind were fierce. My hat blew into the street at one point and a couple of times my sign almost blew out of my hands. Who knew demonstrating would be such hard work? One man walked by and suggested we should be flying kites. I think he intended it as a negative smart remark but we responded enthusiastically and agreed it might have worked as a better way to hold a sign.
I have never been at the post office on tax deadline day before so I was quite surprised by the number of people especially around 5pm. We left before the sun went down because we doubted that we would be seen well at night so I can only imagine the late night peak. There was a constant stream of traffic in just the few hours we were there. Quite a few people gave us no feedback, driving by without appearing to notice us or glancing at the signs and then continuing on their way. I estimate that between a third and a half of those that drove past honked and waved some quite enthusiastically. One guy was honking so fiercely he almost ran into another car. Another guy shouted "honk" and said his horn wasn't working. Hopefully those who responded positively took note of our party identity and will think of us when voting.
We did have a few negative interactions. One lady stopped before crossing the street to let us know how much she loved George Bush. Another rolled down her car window while waiting to turn and yelled at us about how important taxes were. The only exact quote I remember is "How would you pay for the roads?" Since this is an easy example of the user fee alternative it was a shame we didn't get to actually discuss the issue with her. I tried to offer to let her pay my taxes for me since she loved paying so much but she wasn't accepting feedback and rolled her window back up. Traffic was blocked so she rolled down her window a second time to berate us again, this time something on the order of "did we think everyone should pay but us?" Again it could have been a clear opportunity to explain the Libertarian position that of course we are against the inequities of the current system but there was a break in traffic and she sped off. Another man walked by and muttered something about any excuse to demonstrate.
In case some of the signs aren't readable following is a recap:
HONK IF YOU HATE TAXES
lpnm.us
HONK IF YOU HATE TAXES
JOIN THE LIBERTARIANS
LESS GOVERNMENT LESS TAXES
A LIBERTARIAN BELIEF
TAXES ARE REVOLTING
WHY AREN'T YOU?
VOTE LIBERTARIAN
LIKE PAYING TAXES?
YOU STILL OWE $136,000 ON THE NATIONAL DEBT!
LIBERTARIAN
WANT LESS GOVERNMENT LESS TAXES?
VOTE LIBERTARIAN
LIBERTARIAN EQUALS LESS TAXES
Hopefully these make our point that the Libertarian Party is for small government and less taxes. If you'd like more information please look over the sites on our links page or feel free to contact us.
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