The taxman cometh. Income taxes are due on Tuesday, April 15^th. Tax Freedom Day (the day that marks when an average worker has earned enough money to pay his taxes for the year) is April 23^rd this year on a national average, but Minnesotans have to shoulder their tax burden for a few extra days. Tax Freedom Day is April 27^th this year in Minnesota according to the Tax Foundation. They say that's the 8th latest nationally.

 

On a blustery April 12^th, thousands of Minnesotan taxpayers braved icy winds and snow to converge outside the State Capitol and demand relief from the burden of working nearly 1/3 of every year to fill the government's coffers. Talk host Jason Lewis, backed by his home radio station 100.3 KTLK, organized the Tax Cut Rally with Minnesota Majority as a premier partner. Taxpayer’s League, the Minnesota Free Markets Institute, and the Center for Parental Responsibility also had booths there.

 

The Tax Cut Petition went high-tech this year. Minnesota Majority set up a large tent with 40 laptop computers allowing attendees to sign the petition online and instantly send a fax to their state representative, senator and the governor. 904 people used the setup to send their tax-cut message to their elected officials. Hundreds more took printed copies of the petition to sign at home, opting not to wait in the unrelenting long lines for a turn at a computer (thus far, 3,300 messages have been sent via TaxCutPetition.com).

 

Minnesota Majority’s GlobalClimateScam.com bumper stickers were a hot commodity after the rally. Just as popular were the Freedom vs. Tyranny light bulb t-shirts. 1,500 People interested in purchasing the shirts took cards to place orders with.

 

This year’s speakers included KTLK personalities Chris Baker, Dan Conry and of course, Jason Lewis. Harold Shudlick gave the invocation and Jeff Davis, Twila Brase, Michelle Bachman, Barb Davis White, Marty Seifert, Phil Krinkie and John Kline roused the crowd on high-tax topics ranging from universal health care to global warming.

 

Despite the cold, wind, sleet and snow, turnout at the annual rally rivaled last year’s tax-cutting crowd, which garnered an estimated 7,000 attendees on a warm, sunny day. Regardless of the actual numbers, the Associated Press and the Star Tribune grossly underreported turnout.

 

“The Minnesota Tax Cut Coalition held its annual rally at the State Capitol on Saturday, drawing a crowd of about 1,000 people demanding that legislators stop ‘wasteful’ spending and allow Minnesotans to keep more of their paychecks.” Jean Hopfensperger of the Star Tribune wrote in an April 13^th article.

 

The Associated Press, followed by KARE-11, WCCO and other TV news outlets relying on the AP wire service reported a crowd that was under 1,000, saying “nearly 1,000 people rallied at the State Capitol against higher taxes.”

 

DFLer, Matt Entenza was quoted in the AP story claiming that Minnesota is actually ranked the 32^nd highest tax state, which isn’t even within the bounds of realistic debate. The United States Census Bureau Ranked Minnesota the 5^th highest in per-capita taxes in 2005 (the most recent year that per-capita data is available online from the Census bureau). Current data suggests that Minnesota may have momentarily dipped to number 6, but following a $6.6 billion tax-hike, Jason Lewis asserted that we’re probably back up around 4 or 5. Entenza is making up statistics from whole cloth and the media just ran with it.

 

The liberal media bias is alive and probably becoming more brazen, but thanks to alternative media like radio and the Internet, the truth still has an outlet.