Protesters across the suburbs say 'No' to taxes

At the start of his populist, political career, Pat Quinn motivated angry taxpayers in 1978 to send tea bags to lawmakers and the governor to protest government pay hikes.

On Wednesday, the Democratic governor faced the wrath of the tea bag protest himself as hundreds turned out across the state in connection with a nationwide rally largely focused against President Barack Obama, but that also took aim at Quinn's proposed income tax hike.

Some gatherings in the nationwide tea-party protests were small, such as one in Elk Grove Village that attracted about a dozen, while others drew considerably larger crowds, such as in Naperville where more than 100 people rallied.

The protests were scattered across the suburbs, including Batavia and Algonquin, as well as downtown Chicago, where several hundred people rallied, and Springfield, where more than 400 attended.

"There is too much waste," said Steve Farrell, a 55-year-old salesman from Elk Grove Village, while standing on the corner of Higgins and Arlington Heights roads Wednesday.

Farrell carried a sign denouncing Quinn's tax hike proposal. "That is what motivated me to come out here," he said. "I don't like the government automatically running to raise taxes."

The gathering was organized by Sue Gorden of Elk Grove Village, who is upset federal taxes are used to fund abortion and stem cell research. "I wanted to get out here and have my voice heard," she said.

The nationwide protest day was heavily promoted by conservative radio and TV programs. Protesters raised numerous concerns from Democratic control to gun laws. But the overall message focused on taxes and government spending.

In Naperville, nearly 150 people showed up in front of the city's municipal center. It was a last minute decision to attend for Plainfield's Bill and Anita Walsh, who hurriedly scrawled their protests signs on construction paper that declared them "Taxed Enough Already."

"I like the grass roots movement of this and that it's not affiliated with any one political party," Bill Walsh said.

However, the crowd was predominantly GOP. The rally was organized by the Naperville Area Republican Women's Organization and featured speeches by several GOP politicians.

Aurora resident Evelyn Essling was there to urge a fresh start in government. Her sign equated President Obama to Adolf Hitler by proclaiming, "Hitler was a smooth talker and a pied piper too." The sign also demanded clearer ballot language and denounced illegal immigration among other topics.

"We need to start fresh," she said. "Get the incumbents out, just give them two terms and that's it."

In Algonquin, near Cornish Park, 97 people lined Route 62 and waved signs at motorists.

Corrie Priola, an unemployed college graduate from Elgin who hasn't been able to find work for almost a year, said it irritates her the government has bailed out failing companies, at taxpayers' expense.

"Why should they get to charge us for their mistakes?" asked Priola, who majored in government and history. "It's sickening,"

Joanne Cronlund, a stay-at-home Algonquin mom with four children, all under the age of 6, protested against the rising federal deficit. "Don't mortgage my children's future," she said.

In Springfield, where lawmakers may soon vote on tax hikes aimed at bridging an $11 billion budget shortfall, speakers denounced taxes and universal health care as well as cap-and-trade pollution restrictions.

"This is about politicians who don't get it. This is about politicians who have stopped being public servants," said Dave Kelm, a Springfield talk radio host.

As for Quinn, he has said he welcomes any element of the protest directed at his proposal to raise the state income tax rate from 3 percent to 4.5 percent. "I think it is an American way to express your opinion," Quinn said recently.

He argues the tax hike is needed to balance the budget as bills from state vendors, including hospitals, go unpaid. "The easiest thing is to tell people what they want to hear," he said. "But if you don't pay your bills you are not honest about that. Then I think the state suffers."

While several suburban politicians attended rallies, others stayed away. U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, an Evanston Democrat, blasted the protests as a means to "mislead" the public about Obama's efforts.

"It's despicable that right-wing Republicans would attempt to cheapen a significant, honorable moment of American history with a shameful political stunt," she said in statement referring to the Boston Tea Party of 1773. "Made to look like a grass roots uprising, this is an Obama bashing party promoted by corporate interests, as well as Republican lobbyists and politicians."

Daily Herald staff writers Jake Griffin, Lenore Adkins, Dan Carden and Ashok Selvam contributed to this report.

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