Atlanta: Whipped up by conservative commentators and bloggers, tens of thousands of protesters staged "tea parties" around the country on Wednesday to tap into the collective angst stirred up by a bad economy, government spending and bailouts.
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The rallies were directed at President Barack Obama's new administration on a symbolic day: the deadline to file income taxes. Protesters even threw what appeared to be a box of tea bags toward the White House, causing a brief lockdown at the compound.
Shouts rang out from Kentucky, which just passed tax increases on cigarettes and alcohol, to Salt Lake City, where many in the crowd booed Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman for accepting about $1.5 billion in stimulus money. Even in Alaska, where there is no state-wide income tax or sales tax, hundreds of people held signs and chanted, "No more spending."
Image: Demonstrators against US President Barack Obama's national tax, stage a protest in Staten Island, New York, on April 15, 2009.
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