Ramonans stage July 4 TEA party

An estimated 120 tax protesters kept with the Independence Day theme Saturday, declaring their independence from federal policies.

The TEA (Taxed Enough Already) protest was at Pat’s Field of Dreams Nursery at 3323 Highway 67 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 4. Organizers said people were there “in peaceful protest to the runaway spending in Washington, D.C., and the taxes and inflation that will result therefrom.”

The commitment to freedom and human liberty over tyrannical government are reasons to celebrate independence and declare that the people have been taxed enough, those holding signs said.

Paul Hoffman, 20, said he has been watching the takeover of liberties through uses of “force and perversion,” adding that he “started noticing fallacies within the system and got involved.”

Jonathan Deleon, 9, and Nikolas Deleon, 12, were there holding signs with their family.

“This is a history lesson for them,” said Deny Deleon, their grandmother. “They understand the original Boston Tea Party and what it means.”

Helma Walser, 59, was born and raised in Germany. She moved to the United States 36 years ago and said she sees parallels between the two governments’ systems.

“America is a great place,” she said, but it’s “freedom should not be taken for granted.”

Aubrey Goforth, a 2004 Ramona High School graduate, is a Ramona Sentinel intern.