Rancho Bernardo Tea Party Stages Tax Day Protest

Rancho Bernardo Tea Party members were at the post office on Monday, but they weren't mailing their taxes. They had a different message to send.

"Cut the deficit now!" read one protest sign.

"Export products ... not our future!" read another.

More than two dozen protesters lined the sidewalk along Lomica Drive east of Bernardo Center Drive, capitalizing on the steady stream of traffic into the Post Office parking lot there as taxpayers hurried to get their taxes postmarked by Monday's deadline.

As protesters waved their signs, some drivers honked their horns, waved back and put their thumbs (and other fingers) up as they drove past.

For some protesters, such as longtime RB residents Kathy and Herb Tuttle, the demonstration was all about protecting the future financial interests of the country by cutting an "overwhelming" debt load and eliminating bureaucratic redundancies.

But for others, it was about social issues, too. A Rancho Peñasquitos woman said tax dollars should not be used to pay for abortions—something she does not believe are right. There's no difference between killing a criminal and an unborn child, she said.

A common theme among protesters was a fear of where the United States is heading financially. The Tuttles, RB residents for the past 26 years, said they are worried about the quality of lives their children and grandchildren will have considering the trillion dollar-plus debtload they will shoulder the burden of repaying.

Kathy Tuttle said the blame lies not only with President Barack Obama, but also with his predecessors who, too, allowed the country to go deep into debt.

The RB Tea Party describes its three primary values as practicing fiscal responsibility, living by the Constitution and supporting free market systems. Some protesters said the government has endangered the country's future by promising to pay too much for entitlement programs and Medicare.

Similar protests were scheduled at post offices throughout the county, including in Fallbrook and at the Midway Processing and Distribution Facility.

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