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A Slight Disagreement On Stimulus Plan

Carl Orth/SUNCOAST

Many members of the Spirit of '76 Republican Club dressed the part for a Tea Party protest of the federal stimulus spending package during a March 26 meeting. Bill Bunting, a Pasco Republican Party leader, takes aim with an antique rifle.

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BY CARL ORTH

SUNCOAST NEWS ASSISTANT EDITOR

Published: April 1, 2009

HUDSON - Pasco Republicans and Democrats are butting heads over President Barack Obama's plan for stimulating the economy.

Many members of the Spirit of '76 Republican Club recently dressed the part of Revolutionary War-era Americans and held a Tea Party protest against the stimulus package. The GOP has held similar protests in other parts of the nation in recent weeks.

"Give Us Back Our Country!" a poster one of the protesters held declared. Other members signed form letters objecting to the increase taxation needed to pay for the president's stimulus package.

"No taxation/pork without representation," another sign read.

Alison Berke Morano, chairwoman of the Pasco County Democratic Executive Committee, offered a different perspective on the stimulus.

"If the Republicans want to play dress-up while our roads and bridges crumble, they certainly can choose to do so," Morano said in a telephone interview after the GOP Tea Party.

Florida is one of the "hardest hit states in the country with the financial devastation," Morano said.

The Republicans are saying they don't want to help Florida, and want the state to stay at the bottom of the totem economic pole, Morano said. "It makes no sense to me."

Scores of Spirit of '76 Club members packed the Sea Pines Civic Association clubhouse for the March 26 Tea Party. Kathleen Lusk, a Sea Pines resident, organized the event.

Teabags were stapled to a poster with suggestions about what the Republicans might write on cards opposing the president's economic program to be sent to federal officials: "No taxation/pork without representation! Remember, you work for us, we DON'T work for you!!!!"

Former Republican state Rep. Ken Littlefield was at the Tea Party. In an interview Littlefield said, "Either we sent them (the federal government) too much money and they're sending us some back, or they're printing money and sending it to us."

Littlefield, the executive director of the Florida Statewide Advocacy Council, has said he plans to run for a seat on the Pasco County Commission next year.

"If we sent them too much money, they need to send it back," Littlefield added. "And if they're printing money, they're robbing me. Every dollar they print makes the dollar in my pocket worth even less."

Morano, the Democratic chief, noted the stock market has been showing signs of life of late after the first few months of President Barack Obama's administration.

"We are behind whatever the president needs to do to fix the mess left by the Republicans," Morano said. "We support President Obama and the very, very smart Cabinet he has put together."

Obama's team is trying to get a handle on the corruption which helped start the economic crisis. Late last week, treasury officials outlined possible regulations on credit default swaps.

Obama is trying to make "responsible decisions instead of knee-jerk answers we've seen in the past," Morano said, referring to President Bush's tenure in the White House.

"I believe we should do everything can to help our citizens ... so we can get through this."

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