May 1998
Minnesota LP's anti-tax protests draw crowds and media attention
A series of rallies in Minnesota to demand that the state government "give back" a budget surplus has drawn an increasing number of people and generated a flurry of media attention for the state Libertarian Party.
Between March 16 and April 4, the LP of Minnesota helped sponsor four rallies on the steps of the Capitol building in St. Paul -- where crowds of up to 6,000 people gathered to wave signs, chant anti-tax slogans, and listen to a line-up of Libertarian, Republican, and Reform Party speakers.
The rallies were designed to put pressure on the state legislature to return a budget surplus -- estimated at between $2 billion and $4 billion -- to the taxpayers, and to demand "permanent income, property, and sales tax reductions," said Minnesota LP State Chair Charles Test.
"Libertarians are helping Republicans do the right thing" with the rallies, said Test. "It's not getting lost on the elected officials or the voting public: When you want taxes and spending cut, call the Libertarians."
The rallies were sponsored and publicized by the Libertarian Party and KSTP radio talk show host Jason Lewis.
Following the first rally on March 16 which drew 500 people, the party immediately scheduled a series of follow-up events: The "We're Still Waiting" rally on March 23; another "Give it ALL Back" rally on March 30, and a "Don't Be Mean, Give Back Our Green" rally on April 6.
If nothing else, Test said he hopes the protests will encourage "Minnesota's legislators, of both old parties, to start their treatment for their addiction to O.P.M. (Other People's Money)."
