Tens of thousands rally in D.C. against federal spending

WASHINGTON -- Tens of thousands of fiscal conservatives packed streets in the nation's capital Saturday to protest what they consider the federal government's out-of-control spending.

Demonstrators gathered first at Freedom Plaza near the White House, listening to speakers and periodically chanting, "U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A."

Some waved U.S. flags and some men were dressed in colonial costumes with tri-colored hats.

Many carried signs addressing a host of issues. Some targeted health care with "First the IRS, Post Office, and Now Health Care" and "Obamacare makes me sick," while others pointed toward a fear of oncoming communism with slogans such as "The new green is the old red" and "One czar down. 32 to go. Thank you Glenn Beck."

Around 10:30 a.m., the crowd began its march to the Capitol where a stage and series of speakers awaited them. Behind a fife and drum band, the crowd poured into the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol and eventually spilled over onto the National Mall.

The District's Emergency Management Agency sent a text alert to residents warning them that Pennsylvania Avenue was blocked from 14th Street to the Capitol.

FreedomWorks Foundation, a conservative organization led by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, organized several groups from across the country for what they're calling the "09.12.09 March on Washington."

The Washington march took place on the same day President Obama was headed to Minneapolis to rally support for his heath care reform plan. The plan, which also was the topic of his weekly raido and Internet message, has come under fire from fiscal conservatives who consider it too costly.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who delivered the Republican radio address Saturday, said one of the House health care reform bills works out to $2.4 trillion over 10 years, beginning in 2013. Obama puts the cost of his plan at $900 billion over the period.

Richard Brigle, 57, a Vietnam War veteran and former Teamster, came from Paw Paw, Mich. He said health care needs to be reformed — but not according to Obama's plan.

"My grandkids are going to be paying for this. It's going to cost too much money that we don't have," he said while marching, bracing himself with a wooden cane as he walked.

By Friday, about 30,000 had signed up on the event's website to attend the march, said Adam Brandon, spokesman for FreedomWorks.

Brandon said at least 450 tour buses were expected to bring protesters from around the country.

Many protesters said they paid their own way to the event — an ethic they believe should be applied to the government. They say unchecked spending on things like a government-run health insurance option could increase inflation and lead to economic ruin.

Terri Hall, 45, of Starke, Fla., said she felt compelled to become political for the first time this year because she was upset by government spending.

"Our government has lost sight of the powers they were granted," she said. She added that the deficit spending was out of control, and said she thought it was putting the country at risk.

Lawmakers also supported the rally. Rep. Mike Pence, R- Ind., chairman of the House Republican Conference, said Americans want health care reform but they don't want a government takeover.

"Republicans, Democrats and independents are stepping up and demanding we put our fiscal house in order," Pence said.

Linda Raileanu, 47, a nurse from West Chester, Pa., carried a sign indicating that not all doctors and nurses agree with the proposed health care overhaul. "I work with hundreds of nurses and doctors around Philadelphia. I wanted to come out and say that not all nurses and doctors are for this," she said.

Both the U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Park Police said Friday that they were boosting staffing for the event. They declined to provide crowd estimates.

"We're expecting a pretty big crowd," said Sgt. David Schlosser, U.S. Park Police spokesman, adding that he believes the event will be comparable to "the majority of our First Amendment activities, which we do on a routine basis."

FreedomWorks planned the rally, but many groups were participating, including the National Taxpayers Union and Tea Party Patriots. The event gained momentum online via e-mail campaigns and on social networking sites such as Facebook.

Ilyse Hogue, spokeswoman for the liberal network MoveOn.org, called the protesters "an extremely vocal minority" who resort to shouting people down instead of engaging in reasonable debate.

"They are completely out of step with where the majority of people in this country want to go," she added. "Instead of shouting down elected representatives and their fellow citizens who have ideas about how to move forward, they should probably get in the discussion about what we can do to solve the health care crisis, the economic crisis and the energy crisis."

Conservative talk show host Glenn Beck has encouraged people to participate and broadcasted live Saturday from Washington. Mark Williams, another conservative talk show host, is riding the Tea Party Express, a 34-city, 7,000-mile bus tour that began in Sacramento on Aug. 28 and ends in the capital Saturday.

When the Tea Party Patriots held their first nationwide rally in February, organizers said 30,000 people showed. Over the summer, the movement gained momentum with the town hall health care meetings that were punctuated by passionate outbursts over what protesters call "Obama care."

Saturday's rally marks another step in the movement's growth, Brandon says. "This will be the largest gathering of fiscal conservatives that we've ever had in the nation's capital," he says.

Contributors: Andrew Seaman and Emily Bazar of USA TODAY and the Associated Press