TEA Party Protests: Conservatives Organize April 15 Revolt Online

As many Americans rush to file their 1040 forms on national tax day, cheering crowds across the country are heaving huge coolers with "Tea" painted on the side into bodies of water, harkening back to the pre-Revolutionary War protests in Boston, Massachusetts. In those 1773 protests, colonists dumped tea into the harbor in a show of defiance against British rule and the British Parliament's attempt to levy taxes on the American colonies without allowing them representation in the body.

Protesters on Wednesday said like their colonial forebears, they felt that their voices were not being heard by their government.

At one protest Wednesday morning a sign read, "I read as much of the stimulus bill as my Congresswoman." Another read, "You can't put lipstick on socialism."

Organizers say they're steamed at government spending since President Barack Obama's administration took over and are planning their own mini-revolts. The rallies are designed to echo the original Boston Tea Party more than 235 years ago.

The demonstrations are being held everywhere from Kentucky, which just passed tax increases on cigarettes and alcohol, to South Carolina, where the governor has repeatedly criticized the stimulus package. Large protests also are expected in California, New York and Atlanta. "Joe the Plumber," the colourful character who became famous after questioning Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign, was set to address a rally at the Michigan Capitol in Lansing.

Meanwhile, Obama declared that he aims to take the dread out of deadline day. Obama said at a White House event today that he's working toward "a simpler tax code that rewards work and the pursuit of the American dream."

"For too long, we've seen taxes used as a wedge to scare people into supporting policies that increased the burden on working people instead of helping them live their dreams," Obama said. "That has to change, and that's the work that we've begun."