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  • Diane McBroom, of Grove, waves a U.S. flag during a Tax Day Rally for Limited Government on Thursday in Enid. The rally brought approximately 750 people to the Garfield County Court House lawn and was one of several across Oklahoma. (Staff Photo by SHAWN YORKS)

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Discussion

April 15, 2010

Tax Day Rally brings hundreds into Enid; other states join the fight

By Cass Rains, Staff Writer Enid News and Eagle

ENID — Flags reading “Don’t Tread on Me” waved in the breeze and some of the hundreds who attended the Tax Day Rally for Limited Government Thursday carried signs reading “Take back our country before we lose it” and “Trade Air Force One for a Yugo.”

More than 700 people attended the third such event in Enid, held in conjunction at 5:15 p.m. on the courthouse lawn with tea parties nationwide. Enid’s event featured Republican attorney general candidate Scott Pruitt, Enid’s Paul Allen and Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs President Michael Carnuccio.

Cordon DeKock, who organized the event and introduced the night’s speakers, said any organizer wishes there are more people but Thursday’s attendance topped the previous two.

“It’s easily the most we’ve had so far,” DeKock said, noting it could be a reflection of the speakers. “I don’t know if there’s a way we could beat those three.”

Pruitt spoke first, telling the crowd he was encouraged to see so many in attendance. He said action needed to be taken to curb federal government infringement upon constitutional rights.

“We are states not satellites for the federal government,” he said. “We must send a strong message that we will fight for the Constitution.”

Pruitt said if elected as attorney general he would fight against the federal government’s involvement in state issues and individuals’ lives.

“We need to send people to Washington who will vote the right way, who will vote against Obamacare,” he said.

Allen, co-owner of Advance Food Co., opened his speech with quite the disclaimer, “I sure as heck am not a politician.”

He said like many others he didn’t pay as much attention during the last election as he should have.

“After the last election I started getting more disappointed with the direction the country is going,” Allen said.

He, too, said something needed to be done to keep government out of citizens’ lives.

“What’s more important than our freedom?” he asked.

Allen said he recently watched a Web site that tracks the national debt and he let the site run for about 10 minutes.

“In 10 minutes we accumulated another $10 million of debt,” he said. “The whole country is being selfish because we are stealing and borrowing from those who are not born yet.”

Allen urged those attending to vote for representation that would vote for the benefit of the people they represent, and not for their own careers.

Carnuccio said he was proud to see so many people attend the event, and called the rally an example of freedom.

Pointing toward someone holding a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag he asked, “How ironic is it that 250 years later we’re in the same situation as our countrymen were?”

Carnuccio also said smaller government was needed, and the upcoming congressional elections were important for voters to push for the restoration of constitutional rights.

“We’ve had so few elections that are as important as the one in 2010,” he said.

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