By Dawn Slade
Mille Lacs County Times

 No china cups are needed for this tea party. On Wednesday, April 15, people around the United States will gather in communities to protest taxes.

“Taxed Enough Already” (TEA) is a grass roots effort that is expanding as volunteer organizers spread the word.

Milaca is one of 10 cities in Minnesota (at this time) that are on the list of cities expected to hold the TEA Party rally.

Wendy Stromberg, Mike and Mara Byrd, and Dave and Lisa Otey are the core organizers for the Mille Lacs County rally which will be held from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.  in front of the Milaca Area Historical Society building.

The Tea Party’s website, which does not show any political party affiliation, asks if you are fed up with Congress and the President who:

•Vote for a $500 billion tax bill without even reading it?

•Are spending trillions of borrowed dollars, leaving a debt our great-grandchildren will be paying?

•Consistently give special interest groups billions of dollars in earmarks to help get themselves re-elected?

•Want to take your wealth and redistribute it to others?

•Want government-controlled healthcare?

•Punish those who practice responsible financial behavior and reward those who do not?

There are other questions similar to those on the website.

Stromberg, who started the Milaca effort, admits, “I’m probably the least qualified but the most passionate.”

Stromberg is involved in  an action group, American Family Association, a faith-based organization, which she says is a watchdog for family rights.

“They sent it to me as an opportunity to express, at a grass roots level, the disappointment at the current administration and the policies that are being placed into law,” Stromberg said of the National TEA Party Day.

“It’s carte blanche,” Stromberg said of each community’s rally. “What do you think you can do in your communities to make a difference? There are no set rules.”

Some plan to send tea bags to senators, others are having speakers, but most are simply rallying the masses. There will be guest speakers starting at noon, including Josh Mathews, Doug Dahl and Mike Sohre. There will also be other speakers who will clarify the original intent of the constitution.

Bring your own sign or flag and tea bag.

“Ideally, we want to catch people who are on their lunch breaks,” Stromberg said of the 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. time frame.

She hopes it will help support the St. Paul, Minn. rally which takes place that night from 5 to 8 o’clock at the State Capitol. There will be speakers and a sign-up for the next steps at the St. Paul rally.

“If it isn’t in the people’s back yard, they feel like they’re not a part of it,” Stromberg said of wanting a TEA Party rally in Milaca.

Milaca’s rally will likely include a short parade and an information table, where people can learn more and find out how they can make a difference.

“I don’t claim to have all the answers,” Stromberg said. But she’s learning quickly as she works with the city to obtain a permit for the rally.

And whether she wants to or not, she’s becoming the hub of the event.

“This morning already I’ve had 40 emails come in,” she noted.
“I’d rather just live my life. I have a young family, but I feel if we want any chance of holding to the values of what I believe this country was founded on - limited government and hard work ethics - I don’t see any way around it.”

Stromberg is working on nailing down the details and said, “Our goal is to try and group in front of the museum and then walk the block and walk Second (Avenue) also.”

The group plans to get brochures/flyers out, get information to radio stations, and of course, the high-tech grass roots effort of email and Internet social messaging sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

As for politics, Stromberg denied any party affiliation and said, “It’s people that are fed up with thinking that our economy can last as we print and print and print [money].”

So, what does the group hope to accomplish through the April 15 rally?

“Number one, I hope that we gain a group that continues to take action to hold legislators accountable,” Stromberg said. “Often times, I feel, as a voter, the deal is done, and I can’t do anything. You absolutely can do things. It’s getting connected and understanding what you can do on a continual basis.”