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| Monmouth Man Organizes TEA Party |
A Monmouth man says he wasn't aware of any of the nation-wide so-called "tea parties" anywhere in the immediate area, so he decided to organize one Wednesday in the Maple City.
Sean McKee put together Monmouth's own protest of proposed increases and already high taxes residents pay -- a number of area residents organized on Monmouth's Public Square for the event.
McKee tells WGIL he started a blog for his TEA party and got interest he didn't expect.
"I've had calls from Nauvoo and Macomb, up in the Quad Cities, Peoria...so, there's quite an interest in this," McKee said.
McKee, an admitted Republican, tells WGIL the way he sees it, the Tax Day protests aren't about political ideals, even though he's heard from people who think they're a Republican-led protest. "We're not trying to push the Republican agenda," McKee said. "We're trying to tell Republicans and Democrats that they all need to do their job and not worry about keeping their job, as far as special interests and things like that, but do the job we sent them there to do."
McKee says participants had the chance to sign petitions and letters that will be forwarded on to local members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation. He says he sent letters to Monmouth Mayor Rod Davies and Congressman Phil Hare, and has heard nothing back.
McKee's blog on the Tea Party protests in Monmouth can be found by CLICKING HERE.
(Groups of residents sign petitions at Wednesday's Tea Party demonstration in Monmouth.)
(A resident prepares to display her protest sign. Story by Will Stevenson. Photos courtesy Sean McKee.) |
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| 04 16 09 by Newsroom |
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