Town Hall Anger Headed to Washington

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

The angry Americans expressing themselves at lawmaker town halls around the country are heading to Washington. A planned September 12 taxpayer march on Washington, initially focused on taxes and corporate bailouts, is gaining momentum from the recent town halls where the administration's healthcare proposal has been hit for being too big and expensive. Organizers are now expecting thousands to parade on the White House and Congress to demand that Washington keep taxes low. Initially a follow-up to the springtime tea parties, the Saturday "Taxpayer March On D.C." is bringing together "tea party patriots, 'Resistnet,' FreedomWorks, Campaign for Liberty, and a host of other limited-government groups to storm the Capitol," organizers say. A conservative organizer tells Whispers that "a lot of unhappy taxpayers are busing in from as far away as 700 miles" and that much of the crowd will include seniors worried about healthcare and personal finances.

On the organizing site for the march, http://912dc.org, buses are being chartered and hotel deals are being offered to those coming to Washington.

The national tea party will come right as Congress is returning to Washington to renew negotiations over the energy bill, healthcare reform, and multiple appropriations bills to fund the government. Some organizers are hopeful that enough people participate to send Congress a signal before voting on those proposals begins.

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