Tax Patriotism! Thousands Rally for Tax Day

On Tax Day this year, thousands of patriotic Americans held more than 300 rallies across the country to support fair taxation. The message was consistent: we proudly pay our fair share — and so should everyone!

In Rockford, Illinois, taxpayers waved American flags and held pro-tax signs like this one: “Pay Taxes, It’s Patriotic.”

In Pittsburgh, parents rallied at the Squirrel Hill Post Office to defend their public schools against budget cuts. Organizers asked: “We are happy to pay our taxes, but why isn’t the Governor asking gas drillers to pay extraction taxes or closing the “Delaware Loophole” so that all companies are bearing their share of responsibility for funding public education?”

In Minneapolis, MN, taxpayers wondered: if “I Paid My Fair Share,” why won’t Wells Fargo do their part?

In Albany, protestors got especially creative in their opposition to special tax breaks, making an enormous “loophole” big enough to drive a truck through. (Watch the video!)

“We pay, so should they,” said one sign in Baltimore, where a public school teacher, Terrell Williams, reminded us that taxes are an investment in America’s future. “The question has to be, if you’re giving those subsidies to corporations, who’s not getting served? And I believe it’s our kids.”

And in Pittsburgh, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Boston, tax pride accompanied demands for fair taxation for all.

Pittsburgh:

New York:

Los Angeles:

Seattle:

Boston:

The 99% are proud to pay their taxes… and in San Francisco, the one percent agrees. “Tax all of us and do it now,” said equity fund manager Barney Deasy, president of Merritt Capital.

Looks like paying taxes are one thing everybody can agree on! As one man rallying in Washington, DC, put it: “Real Americans proudly pay their fair tax share.”

** How did you celebrate Tax Day? Send your photos to taxesfightfires at gmail dot com.**

Photo credits: Justin Lane/EPA (Tax Dodgers); Jill Schneider, San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco).

UPDATE! It’s not just San Francisco! 1%-ers across the country rallied for higher taxes. Check out this video from Resource Generation.

Know Your Grovers

People are pretty angry with Grover. I know what you are wondering — how could anyone not love such a cute and furry monster?

It turns out, there is another Grover, a Mr. Grover Norquist.

It’s an easy mistake to make. But there are ways to distinguish the Grovers. We’ve assembled some important signs so that you can always tell the difference:

Grover the Muppet encourages road safety. Grover Norquist wants to defund roads.

Grover the Muppet goes to school and makes two new friends. Grover Norquist wants to cut government spending for public schools in half.

Grover the Muppet teaches kids how to take a bath. Grover Norquist wants to drown the federal government in a bathtub.

Know your Grovers, America!

The Tax Party: Everyone’s Invited!

There are rumors out there that many people don’t pay taxes! Hogwash! Almost everyone comes to the tax party.

Tax Patriotism = Good Politics

Check out this article at The American Prospect, on the political windfalls of tax patriotism:

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has been straightforward about raising taxes to maintain the state’s schools and services, which are among the nation’s best. In 2007, he combined tax increases with budget cuts to address structural deficits. O’Malley got re-elected in 2010—a bad year for other Democrats—by a 14-point margin. This year, even as he positions himself for a possible presidential bid in 2016, O’Malley is pushing a gas-tax increase and an income-tax hike on the wealthy. “Asking our fellow citizens to do more will not be popular,” O’Malley said in his 2012 State of the State address. “But without anger, fear, or meanness, let’s ask one another: How much less do we think would be good for our children’s future?”

FLASHBACK: Taxes Funded the Civilian Conservation Corps

During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps built 3,470 fire towers and 97,000 miles of fire road, and planted more than three billion trees. When the country was struggling, the CCC’s tax dollars put 2.5 million jobless young men back to work.

Say it with me: Taxes create jobs.  

I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you.  Can I get a little help in here?  One more time for the folks in the back.

Taxes create jobs!

That’s what I’m talking about. Amen, brothers and sisters.

This Week in Tax Patriotism

• Two views of the tax propositions in Obama’s 2013 budget
• Taxing wealth like work… sounds like a fair deal!
• And… meet the Tax Dodgers!