On Tuesday there were a series of nationwide “Defending the Dream” rallies in support of public sector unions.  The good and honorable men and women of the far left were sporting a “lean and hungry look,” despite having gorged themselves on taxpayer dollars at the public trough.  Fearing that fiscally responsible reformers across the country would follow the example of Scott Walker in Wisconsin and become too ambitious in defense of the taxpayers, the honorable men and women of the public sector unions along with their allies in the Democrat Party turned out in defense of their own selfish agenda.   

A fellow Tea Party Patriot told me about the “Defending the Dream” event scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Church in Woodstock, Illinois.  I parked well out of sight of the intersection where the anti-taxpayer rally was held and walked around the block in order to quietly slip into the enemy camp and blend in.  Having read the OFA invitation, I was wearing a red coat to show support (in my case it was camouflage) for their comrades in Wisconsin.

Trying my best to maintain a blank “Obamazombie” expression, I strode up to the folding table in the front of the group and asked the woman on the other side what they were protesting.  She told me that they were “fighting to save the working people from the Republicans.”  Maintaining my empty-headed expression, I asked what the Republicans were up to.  Sensing an easy convert, the organizer told me that “they are giving big tax breaks to their rich friends, destroying social security, firing school teachers, firefighters, police officers and killing the middle class!”  I shook my head and said “we gotta stop ‘em!”  My recruiter smiled and asked me to sign a petition to be sent to our congressman, I asked her “just who is our congressman?”  She didn’t know, but that she would find out. 

Turning around I was confronted by a Michael Moore look-a-like in a dark blue parka screaming “Tax the rich! Tax the rich!”  I meekly asked, “don’t the rich pay taxes now?”  The hulking figure in blue shot me a disapproving glance and said “not nearly enough,” he paused and then continued “besides it isn’t fair that they have so much.”  Unable to maintain my masquerade, I began to walk towards the intersection and the safety of like-minded patriots when my recruiter motioned me over to the table.  She said “your congressman is Dick Durbin.”  I replied “Oh, I thought he was a Senator.”  Then I asked her “If the rich want to get rid of the police, firefighters and school teachers, won’t that hurt them too?”  Her pleasant demeanor had suddenly shifted into anger and she said “the rich send their kids to private school and have their own private security, they don’t care about you!” 

After crossing the intersection and stepping into the light, I was welcomed back to the world of free thinking patriotic Americans.  The climate among the pro-taxpayer group was invigorating!  There among us was a glassy-eyed woman to my left holding a sign that said “Stand Up for Education,” I told her that I liked the sign and that we were all standing up for education by facing down the unions, for the first time since her arrival she realized that she was on the wrong side of the street, Ooooops! 

At one point a group of three sixth-grade boys who had been with the union crowd, crossed the street and asked us why we were protesting the school teachers. 

Many of our group told the boys that we were doing it for them and their future, because if the unions were not stopped they would be the ones to pay for their fat pensions and benefits when they were grown up.  Bill explained it to them by telling them that if the three of them were taking a test in school and one of them studied really hard and got a 100, another of them studied pretty well and got an 80 and the third boy didn’t study at all and got a 30, how would it be if the teacher said that in order to be fair, each of the boys would receive a 70?  None of the boys thought it would a very good idea and one of them chimed up and said, “It would be OK if you were the guy who didn’t study at all.”  Another member of our group asked how hard any of them would study for the next test.  Another of the boys shook his head and said “I sure wouldn’t.” 

There were so many great people among the 20 or so who were joined together in support of our fellow hard-working taxpayers, Patricia, Janesse, Bill, Mary, Kitty and a remarkable lady named Deborah who was recovering from hip replacement surgery which was performed only a month earlier.  The cold and windy conditions on the street corner must have been particularly hard on this patriotic lady, but she maintained an infectious good cheer all the while.  Even as the anti-taxpayer protesters began to leave and some of our group went on their way, Deborah refused to abandon her post until all of the “unionistas” had left.  We should all be so dedicated and determined in this struggle.

March 16, 2011

paboehmke@yahoo.com