THOUSAND OAKS : Unhappy Taxpayers Rally at Post Office

The sun was shining and birds were singing, but the mood Thursday afternoon outside the main Thousand Oaks post office was decidedly somber.

Maybe it was the hand-lettered signs. The red-white-and-blue placards predicted gloomy times ahead.

“Bill & Al’s Endangered Species: The Middle Class,” one read. “Raise Taxes. Vote Democrat,” another declared.

Or maybe it was the emotions.

“We are overtaxed without any representation--I believe that with my whole heart,” Thousand Oaks resident Reine Wiley said with a sigh after mailing her check to Uncle Sam.

Taking advantage of the general Angst on April 15, conservatives calling themselves the New Republicans distributed flyers outside the post office and staged a small evening rally to tell disgruntled taxpayers of their cause.

Nearby, local members of Ross Perot’s United We Stand party offered their own literature and took turns marching around the parking lot with “STOP Spending First” signs.

Both groups generated considerable interest, as scores of residents who had waited until the final deadline to file their taxes stopped by to share complaints, anger and general frustration.

“We’re a vocal group and we want to organize like-minded people,” said Bill Pierce, a 28-year-old activist in the recently formed New Republicans group, which boasts about 100 members. “We’re not here to argue with people who disagree.”

Although small local protests are unlikely to persuade President Clinton to abandon his economic plan, national tax-reduction activists said the Thousand Oaks groups were on the right track.

According to Lewis K. Uhler, president of the National Tax Limitation Committee, “At least they show the flag and provide visibility so taxpayers know where to go if they want to get involved.”