Tax Day Tea Party Brews Despite Rain

On this April 15, while many people are rushing to get to the post office to get those tax claims out before the midnight deadline, others are protesting tax spending and what they call government waste.

There's nothing like having to file your tax returns to get that angst flowing through your veins.

The rain couldn't keep Philadelphia's "Tax Day Tea Party" from brewing. Several hundred people showed up by the scheduled start time at noon.

And the protesters at LOVE Park's version of the event being held across the country were definitely not sending a message of love, Fox 29's Julie Kim reported.

Rather, they vented their frustrations. They said they're tired of pork.

One man's sign read, "It's The Constitution Stupid!! (not the stupid constitution!)"

"Back in the Clinton days, they were always ranting about the 'It's the economy, stupid.' Well, we say it's the constitution stupid because everything that they're doing is against the constitution," the man holding the sign said.

Another sign had checked-off boxes next to the words "bailouts," "porkulus" and "high taxes," followed by, "The Pirates Aren't In Somalia … They're In CONGRESS."

"The government is doing things without asking us. They're just doing it," Tea Party organizer Diana Reimer said.

"There's a lot of pork barrel projects in it. They said there's there said there were no earmarks but, you know, that's just them playing with terms," said another organizer, Andrew Monahan.

As seen in tea parties nationwide, they were talking about bailouts and what they said is a bloated stimulus package.

Organizers at Philadelphia's event said there is enough blame to go around.

"It's not just this administration. The previous administration was just as bad," said the man holding the "stupid" sign.

This week, the watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste released its annual "Pig Book," which is a list of pork projects they've identified in 2009.

According to CAGW, they've identified more than 10,000 pieces of pork that are costing taxpayers more than $19 billion.

To be categorized as pork, CAGW said it has to hit one of seven factors, which include serving only a local or special interest, no congressional hearings and authorization by only one chamber of Congress.

Listed in the "Pig Book" is nearly $2.4 million for improvements at Philadelphia International Airport, almost $4.3 million to create roads for the Flight 93 memorial, and $3.5 million to conserve the Glatfelter Tree Farm in Gettysburg.

"Oh, I think it's good to have our National Parks. That's part of America," Reimer said.

Kim reported that the folks at Philadelphia's event seemed to have a looser definition of pork because they didn't seem to have issues with the Pennsylvania projects that made CAGW's list.

When she asked what pork projects they did find offensive, one person took real offense at peanut research, which is an $800,000 on CAGW's list, although it's funding that will go to another state, Kim reported.

The clock is ticking if you haven't filed your 2008 tax return.

Even if you need extra time, you must file for an extention by midnight Wednesday. There are fewer options for procrastinators this year.

The post office at 30th and Chestnut will close at 11:58pm Wednesday. During the afternoon, there will be postal employees outside, so you can handoff your return.