Jackson Free Press

Yesterday, droves of party-people strolled along the Capitol lawn holding poster boards with messages- presumably drawn by their preschool-aged children- voicing their opinions about the horrors of taxation. Sweet tea was served.

On a beautiful April day, many stayed indoors and watched the news networks cover this incident. No matter how misinformed the partygoers may be, these folks got together and bonded. They made new friends. Phone numbers were exchanged. Email addresses were swapped. Networking, networking, networking.

And in two weeks, maybe a group of new tea-drinking friends will go out to dinner and discuss other elements of their lives. Their children will get together and play cops 'n robbers or IRS agents and tax evaders. Laughs will be shared and memories will be created.

We can stare at our computer screen or our television at home and mock these people for protesting wasteful spending while they wastefully spend money on poster boards and magic markers, but at least they were enjoying a pretty day. At least they were being citizens, and not couch potatoes.

On April 23, we have another chance to get out of the house and become active. The Jackson Free Press is a sponsor of the April 23 debate featuring Democratic candidates for mayor of Jackson at the Jackson Convention Complex. Nothing excites me more than 53 mayoral candidates standing on-stage, wearing their finest, most expensive clothing, and arguing why they will be the best man/woman for the job to fix the city's budget.

The first debate I ever attended was in Starkville, MS when nasally Gov. Ronnie Musgrove squared-off against "I haven't been to Mississippi in like 10 years"-Haley Barbour. At the time, I was in boarding school and my roommate invited me to tag along. He was heavily involved in the Republican Party and I was heavily involved in..well..partying.. so I decided to accept his invitation. Boy, am I thankful. It was stand-up comedy at its best. Neither candidate's "vision for this state" necessarily impressed me. But both were excellent at spewing smart-aleck quips. This impressed me.

I have no doubt that the debate on April 23 will provide plenty of laughs. Please join us!

Jackson, MS is on the cusp of becoming a very special destination for tourists and investors alike. Get involved, and you can help Jackson achieve anything.
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So apparently, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) is outraged that these "despicable right-wingers" would march around in costumes and cheapen a historic moment in this nation's history. (April 15?) She blames Republican lobbyists for these Tea-Party uprisings.

Oh really, Rep. Schsdlkjfsysfdksfjly? Were you this outraged when your husband was convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud in 2005?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-08-31-congresswoman-husband_x.htm
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Didn't President Obama teach Constitutional Law or something?
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/04/11/bagram/
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Previous Comments

ID

145986

Comment

I think my glasses are broken, this column made sense. Wait, I don't wear glasses.

Author

WMartin

Date

2009-04-16T16:44:37-06:00