GINA B. GOOD / PVT Tax protester Rick Tret said he moved to Pahrump from California three months ago to get away from onerous taxes. GINA B. GOOD / PVT Karen Finken, at left, holds the bullhorn she borrowed from church at Wednesday's grassroots tax day rally. The protesters were "TEA'd," an acronym meaning Taxed Enough Already. At right, with the flag, stands sheriff's candidate Ray Mallow. Advertisement

Pahrump residents held a tax day protest Wednesday, joining tens of thousands of Americans from all walks of life in every state in the nation.

"Stop the spending, stop the greed, stop the pork, we are TEA'd," shouted organizer Karen Finken and her fellow marchers, many of whom carried American flags.

"TEA'd stands for Taxed Enough Already," explained Finken.

The group of 19 tax protesters left the Pahrump Nugget parking lot at 11 a.m. Finken took full advantage of her borrowed bullhorn, sharing her message with passing cars along Highway 160 en route to the Nye County Complex on Basin Avenue.

Other demonstrators joined in along the way, reaching about 30 strong by the time they rallied at the corner of the courthouse entrance in the crisp, cold air.

Finken started the rally by saying, "Greed and corruption in Washington, D.C., is what started this whole downslide." Many agreed with the sentiment.

"Last week the president said we are not a Christian nation," continued Finken. "I assure you, Mr. President, we are and will remain a Christian nation. We are one nation under God and we will fight so our government doesn't hock our children's children's future," Finken said before handing the bullhorn around to the crowd.

"We have the greatest country in the history of the world," said Dan Schinhofen. "We have not only the right but the responsibility to protest. Our representatives took an oath to uphold the Constitution, yet our tyrannical government is trashing it."

Al Paolozzi, a 10-year resident of Pahrump, held his handmade sign, asking why he should pay taxes when politicians don't.

Johnny Ver Hagen suggested buying a stamp that says "In God we trust" and stamping it on all correspondence.

Jackie Collins, who's lived in Pahrump since 2002, said: "I am concerned by of all the things we Americans have allowed to happen. God is the first to go. We need to get involved. We need to read and study and not just believe what we are being told."

Mike Jonak simply said, "Silence is surrender. I am not going away with a whimper."

Pastor Bob Lewis, who gave an invocation to start the rally, later said: "We haven't had representation in Washington for years. We elected those people and we can un-elect them at any time."

Harry Smith said, "The taxpayer is the forgotten man. Our government wants to take care of the poor and the government remembers the rich, but the taxpayer in the middle is getting crunched."

Tom Zucharro said, "They think our tax money is theirs to do anything they want with."

Bob Pawson said, "I think the government is out of control and has forgotten what this country was founded on."

Dan Brigham, who's lived in Pahrump for five years, said he attended the rally because several members of his church were marching.

Emma Phifer spoke about the grassroots tea party phenomenon sweeping the country, giving angry and frustrated citizens the ability to come together across party lines and meet others who share common values.

Larry Renner commented, "It's not so much a tax protest as a protest against taxes without representation that are already beginning to show up in excise taxes on tobacco and other items. This unbridled spending means my teenage kids are burdened with debt for the rest of their lives.

"Obama ran on fiscal transparency and then didn't even allow our elected representatives the time to read what they had to vote on," Renner continued.

"It's not a partisan issue. People who are registered as Democrats and Republicans and Independents finally have something to unite us all. Every person who voted for these onerous spending bills must be kicked out of office, including the president."