Many Southeast Texans were happy to show that they were conservative despite some of the negative labels in the media.
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In spite of the "right-wing extremist" stigma the national media and even their own government has tattooed on zealous conservatives the past few days, thousands of locals still enthusiastically rallied for Beaumont's Tax Day Tea Party.
On Wednesday, April 15, an estimated 2,000 children and adults of all ages packed an expansive field across from the U.S. Post Office on Walden Road, hoisting signs in protest of socialism, corporate bailouts and looming taxes.
Sparse were the signs advocating a political party affiliation or dislike for President Barack Obama, in contrast to the rhetoric spewed by several media outlets, pundits and bloggers, who labeled Tea Party goers as "idiots" and "hateful racists."
Throughout the night, guest speakers, like Congressman Ted Poe, rebuked the past and current presidential administrations for their careless spending policies, expressing fear over America's progressive embrace of failed, European-style socialism.
Many of the event's spectators echoed the sentiment, telling the Record the debt America is incurring will unfairly be passed to future generations.
Several Southeast Texans said they did not come to protest an individual, but the government as a whole, telling the Record that President George W. Bush opened the proverbial flood gates and Obama is now surfing a wave of massive federal government growth.
Tax Day Tea Parties were held in approximately 300 cities across the country with hundreds of thousands in attendance.
For more information about continuing efforts, go to meetup.com/SETXTEAParty