Buffalo/Western New York Tea Party

We’ve held successful tea parties on March 28, April 15, and May 9. Now we’re planning another one for July 4th.

Send an email for information and to offer suggestions.

Your July 4th tea party organizer:
Allen Coniglio — email

From WIVB:

Hundreds attend rally downtown
Saturday, 09 May 2009, 7:34 PM EDT
Brian Tabor

Fed up western New Yorkers headed downtown to protest against state government, high taxes and extensive regulations.

Hundreds attended a rally Saturday afternoon in Niagara Square.

“Our state government is off the reservation. They have not a clue anymore on what it’s about, to serve you. That’s been demonstrated very clearly in the past few months,” said Buffalo Developer Carl Paladino.

“We encourage everybody to run for office. The only way that we’re going to be able to change anything is by new people running in office,” said Tax Protester Rus Thompson.

“Our new line is gonna be called the Tea Party line, and I think it fits pretty good with the movement that’s going on right now,” Thompson said.

Thompson says his group also wants to remove State Senator Bill Stachowski and many other politicians from office.

Watch video of the rally here.

On May 9th we will be holding another Tax Protest/Revolt here in Buffalo — in Niagara Square at 2 PM. I have already warned the Buffalo Police that we plan on shutting down traffic. We must fill Niagara Square with thousands of people. They are starting to hear us as we had the first ever Tea Party on March 28th with close to 1000 people in attendence.

Help us make history once again.

This focuses on the insanity of Albany policies, politics and the ever increasing taxes, fees, dysfunction and downstate influence on all our representatives. Given the increasing call for the splitting of this state, we deserve the chance to vote on this issue this coming November. If we are to survive here in WNY then we need to split from NY City.

Joining us on May 9th will be our friend and vocal opponent of bad and dysfunctional policies Carl Paladino.
We are announcing a business/citizen partnership like no one has ever had before. The business community will be joining all of us to take on politics and politicians this year starting right here in Western New York.

We also have a plan to take on the political system this year here in Erie County and any other county that wants to join in with us. The dysfunction of politics is spreading like a disease and it must come to an end and we have a plan to stop it dead in it’s tracks.

I have a list of demands that we here in New York want them to focus on. These need to be done all across the state but join us at 2PM in Niagara Square. We will be right there in front of the newly created “patronage pit” called the Albany/ Buffalo office run by Joe Mesi and now Susan Grelick. Between the two of them they are making $160,000 a year and this office will cost us over a million.

It is time folks. It is time to join together in force and take this state and county back from these lifelong, dysfunctional politicians and start calling for some resignations.

Thank you and please spread the word.

Rus Thompson

From the Buffalo Evening News:

Revolutionary War-era garb and historical flags evoke spirit of Boston Tea Party as tea-themed rally at Niagara Square … one of hundreds nationwide … protests state and federal taxes on the day they’re due.

Derek Gee / Buffalo News
Updated: 04/16/09 09:14 AM

Decrying government spending as excessive, protesters make voices heard
Tax-protest tea party has extra edge for New Yorkers
By Stephen T. Watson
NEWS STAFF REPORTER

They came dressed in Revolutionary War-era garb, waving American flags or bearing signs that read “I Am Not Your ATM” and “Revolt Against $ocialism.”

The several hundred protesters who flocked Wednesday afternoon to the Tax Day tea party in Niagara Square also carried enough tea bags to make Thomas Lipton smile.

Protesters went to the rally in Buffalo, and hundreds like it across the country, to call for an end to what they consider excessive government spending and overly permissive liberal policies.

“We aren’t nobodies. We’re Americans, and we have a voice,” Laurie Kostrzewski, one organizer, said to the crowd.

The coordinated tea parties Wednesday, the day federal income tax returns were due, protested high state and federal taxes in the spirit of the Boston Tea Party in 1773.

Participants here and elsewhere argued for greater citizen involvement in politics and for the passage of reform measures such as term limits for elected officials.

“We must force our government to remember that they work for us,” said Chris Bossert, one of the men wearing Colonial garb.

The 70-minute rally at the base of the McKinley Monument, across the street from City Hall, drew office workers, citizen activists and parents with children in tow.

Organizers and anyone from the crowd who wanted a turn at the microphone railed against career politicians but directed particular ire at President Obama and Gov. David A. Paterson.

Attendees said they favor spending on the military, police, roads and other critical infrastructure, but social welfare programs such as Social Security and Medicaid had few fans.

“I’m here to try to stop wasteful spending,” said John Cherri, who also was dressed in a tri-cornered hat and other late-18th century garb.

The costly government-funded bailouts of the financial services and automotive industries also came under fire at the rally.

Many in attendance said government officials are too quick to think the solution to any problem — economic or social — is raising taxes and boosting public spending.

“It’s not the government’s place to bail people out,” Gary Spengler, a corrections officer and Democrat from Silver Creek, said in an interview.

Organizers said that they’re realistic and that they don’t have high hopes for change to come soon. But they argued that people need to get involved in political organizing and support the right kind of candidates.

Whenever a speaker would mention “politicians,” members of the crowd would yell “Get ’em out of there” and “Term limits.”

“I think it’s time people stopped complaining and take action for the things they believe in,” Dotty Kassler, a teacher from the Town of Tonawanda who isn’t registered with a party, said in an interview. She held a sign stating “Born Free/Taxed to Death” that had two small American flags taped to it.

The topics of freedom, patriotism and religion also came up repeatedly at the rally. The event began with a prayer since, as organizer Allen Coniglio put it, “You can always tell the good guys — they say prayers.”

Attendees sang parts of “America the Beautiful” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” before reciting the Pledge of Allegiance — the version including “under God,” Kostrzewski emphasized— before the speeches.

“This is power of the people. We’re seeing it today,” said Coniglio, a member of the Reform-NYS group that sponsored the rally here.

Also on Wednesday afternoon, the liberal-leaning Coalition for Economic Justice held a downtown rally of its own.

This gathering was meant to boost support for state legislation that would reform the process through which local industrial development agencies give tax breaks to businesses.

The bill’s provisions include requirements that the companies pay prevailing wages, that Industrial Development Agency- boosted projects must create new jobs and prove that the project couldn’t be carried out without the tax breaks.

“We want to fix that broken system,” said Allison K. Duwe, director of the coalition and organizer of the rally, which drew about 40 people to the Washington Street Post Office.

Opponents of the legislation say that it would place onerous burdens on companies receiving IDA incentives and harm economic-development efforts upstate.

[email protected]

About 400 people came to the Tea Party.

From WIVB:

Tea parties across country
Hundreds came to Niagara Square

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Taxpayers are evoking the symbolism of the American Revolution this April 15th by staging Tea Parties across the country.

They came by the hundreds filling up Niagara Square on this Tax deadline to say they’re fed with all the taxes their paying.

Local organizer Laurie Kostrzewski said, “To pay for their State budgets,” The crowd cheered, “Yes!”

“To pay for their local budgets” The response,” Yes!”

“I came here today because I’m sick and tired of our government taking our money and my children’s money and my grandchildren who aren’t even born, taking their money and doing what they want,” said Alicia Howell, an East Aurora resident.

“Why is the only answer they ever have to spend more and more of your money. They spend it , they mess it up, and then they ask you for more. That’s not the answer we need to do better than that,” said Marilla resident Seth Krull.

“They’re serving themselves and they are not serving the people.They ask us to do without while they continue to do with more and more and more,” said Greg Collins, a Cheektowaga resident.

Kostrzewski said, “If it continues we will become Socialistic. They will bankrupt us. We will become just like any other country, and that is not in our best interest.”

There is still a Tea Party discussion planned for this Saturday at Club W on Delaware, but Laurie Kostrzewski couldn’t resist the chance to get the message out on tax deadline day.

“We are being taxed to death,” Kostrzewski said….

Watch the news video from the Niagara Square Tea Party here.

Taxed Enough Already?

On the day you pay your taxes, Wednesday, April 15, join others across the country and in your hometown who will be participating in Tax Day TEA party rallies in front of their city halls. The Tax Day TEA party rally for Buffalo/Western New York will begin at 12 noon in Niagara Square.

There will also be a discussion meeting on the 18th at Club W, 199 Delaware in downtown Buffalo from 1-5 p.m. This is less of a protest and more about getting educated.

From the Buffalo Evening News:

State budget draws growing backlash over taxes and fees
Spending is up 8.7% over previous year
By Matthew Spina   04/01/09 12:04 PM

New Yorkers howl every year about their state budget. This year it’s more visceral.

State leaders are about to assault the nation’s highest-taxed state with a new round of taxes and fees. In the middle of a recession, no less….

Erie County’s roiling politics, its high property taxes and its highest-in-the-state sales tax have spawned anti-tax protests throughout the years.

The latest was held Saturday, the Buffalo Tea Party, in which more than 300 people called for Albany to reform itself….

Marc Odien filmed and edited highlights of the Tea Party held on Saturday March 28th, 2009 on the Buffalo waterfront. Watch the video here.

Tomorrow is the day we have been building up for. From all indications it looks like this is going to be well attended. It is time that Albany starts to listen and we will be demanding reform, not simply campaign promises as we have been hearing for decades. We are tired of the lies, platitudes and campaign rehtoric. It is time for action and we will hold their feet to the fire.

Are you awake New York? Are you mad as hell and not going to take it anymore? We are here in Erie County and Western New York. Before the pitchforks, hatchets and muskets come out, we need to bring out the tea and dump it right in their laps.