Tax day is protest day in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS-About fifty people gathered at each of two sites in Las Vegas Tuesday to protest the federal income tax in one case and the costs of the continuing war in Iraq in the other.  Although different in purpose, the protests were similar in appearance with waving signs, chanting slogans and an inevitable slowdown in nearby traffic.

Anti-tax protest at "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign

Anti-tax protestors at the southern end of the Strip."One hundred percent of the federal income tax goes toward the debt on the dollar," said Cody Cunningham, the 14-year-old organizer of the anti-tax protest.  "It doesn't go toward any services at all.  It doesn't go to roads or highways or anything."

Many of the protestors were members of the Libertarian Party, among them two likely Libertarian candidates for the state assembly.

"There is no law that states you have to pay tax on wages," said Travis Pifer, 19, who plans on running for the Assembly District 41 seat currently held by Democrat David Parks.  "There are also people here protesting the North American Union, which is the merger of Canada, the United States and Mexico.  They're doing it underneath NAFTA and CAFTA and all that.  There's also a couple of 9/11-truthers out here."

Pifer wore a shirt reading "9/11 was an Inside Job" and said that "there have been some questions that have been unanswered."

Steffan Reed, 22, will be running for the assembly in District 13, the seat held by Republican Chad Christensen.  The district is expected to be targeted by Nevada Democrats in this election cycle. Reed said he believes Republicans will be beaten this year because they don't appeal to a young demographic.

"We're out here fighting for and preaching to people the truth," said Reed.  "Nobody likes paying their taxes and I'm just like everybody else.  I think there's a much more viable solution than paying a federal income tax."

"Everybody I know likes the constitution and likes civil rights," said Reed.  "They just don't understand there is somebody out there who is teaching real civil rights."

"Invest in America, not War in Iraq" rally at Sunset Post Office

Anti-Iraq War protestors at the Sunset Post OfficeA few blocks away, Americans United for Change led a protest against the Iraq War in front of the Sunset Post Office.  The protest focused mainly on the economic costs of the war, arguing that the money spent in Iraq would be better invested in the United States.

"Across the country, in all different states, we're going to post offices saying that Bush needs to pay attention to health care, education and veterans' issues instead of financing the war, and Jon Porter needs to stop supporting him," said organizer Ronnie Council.

"It's costing an average family of four $16,500, just for this past year," said Council.  Council also said that money does not include long-term costs of the war like veterans' health care.

"Our money is going into what I call an economic black hole, it's going into a vacuum," said Monica Brett, an adjunct political science professor at the College of Southern Nevada.  "We are struggling here.  Our education system is falling behind.  How can we compete in a global market if we are not a well-educated workforce?"

Brett said she believes the costs of the war are intimately connected to the economic downturn now facing the United States.

"Just look at the results when we're struggling with close to $114 a barrel [of oil].  Because we're still a fuel-based economy that impacts every price you see from food to housing to everything."