Hartford Tea Party Largely a Disappointment

I attended the "Hartford Tea Party" today during lunch. It was the first time I've attended something that might be classified as a political protest. I'm sorry to say that my worst fears were confirmed. Don't get me wrong, the people at the event were good people. I believe in the ideals of the event. However, the event was just not that well attended. There were maybe 200 people struggling with forced group chants. Although there are few people as anti-big-government as I, I have to admit I felt mostly silly standing there among the meager crowd of patriots adorned with signs, bells, and costumes. If this event was going to be effective, it would have needed closer to 200,000 people, rather than 200.

The purpose of the event was the protest "pork" spending. However, one problem is that so-called pork is not the only government over-indulgence. Even if all the pork were removed from the state and federal budgets, we would still be spending unseemly sums of money. Even with all the pork trimmed, the expanding reach of government would continue to tighten its grip on our personal liberties. We need more than a fat trim. We need a serious roll back of government. Unfortunately, we are getting just the opposite with the current administration and congress.

I, like many responsible citizens out there, fell helpless. That's why I went to the Hartford Tea Party. I thought, perhaps if we band together we can make a difference. It was reassuring to know that even in a deep blue state like Connecticut, there are still some sensible citizens out there. It was reassuring to hear people blow their car horns in support. The print, TV, and radio journalists were there to cover the event (with a special appearance by Jim Vicevich), so perhaps the message reached some new people. Maybe, but I fear that in reality it was just a waste of a lunch hour.