April 16th, 2009, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today praised the national tea party movement and called upon activists to “take action in their local communities, join political organizations, attend town hall meetings, and talk to their neighbors.”
“The American people should be proud of themselves for what they did. For taking to the streets yesterday in their hometowns to protest an unjust government. For traveling miles to be in their state capitals, and elsewhere,” said Wilson.
Wilson emphatically believes that “the American people, and the American people alone, deserve credit for making their voices heard as one.”
“The beauty of this movement is that, despite some claims, nobody organized this; the American people spontaneously did this themselves,” Wilson said.
More than 250 thousand Americans are estimated to have participated in over 700 tea parties in cities, towns, and villages nationwide, protesting some $13 trillion of spending, loans and assurances by the federal government since March, 2008.
“This is just the beginning,” Wilson added. “Now Americans everywhere must become recruiters, organizers, and list-builders. Now is the time help take back liberty and defend limited government, one community at a time.”
The tea party movement was inspired by CNBC on-air editor, Rick Santelli, who in response to President Barack Obama’s $275 billion mortgage modification plan famously asked traders on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, “This is America! How many of you people want to pay for your neighbor’s mortgage that has an extra bathroom and can’t pay their bills? Raise their hands.”
After a chorus of boos by traders, Mr. Santelli promised to organize a Chicago tea party, inspiring a nationwide movement.
The movement itself was organized on websites like Taxdayteaparty.com, on social networking sites like Facebook, and through word-of-mouth. Media outlets like the national Fox News Channel, talk radio, and the thousands of local newspapers, television and radio stations across the country are also credited with giving individual activists a means of getting the word out about local events.
“Politicians in Washington, in state capitals, and elsewhere had better be paying attention,” Wilson warned.
“This is not going away,” Wilson promised. “The American people will not be denied what is rightfully theirs, they will no longer be ripped off by the welfare, entitlement, and bailout spending that is saddling the nation with the largest debt in human history, and they will only take so much.”
“And to those in power that are afraid, know this: you should be,” Wilson concluded.
Interview Availability: Please contact Alex Rosenwald at (703)383-0880 or at arosenwald@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.