Tea Party supporters in Escanaba have had it
ESCANABA -- Close to 100 supporters came to Ludington Park in Escanaba Saturday to defend the U.S. Constitution they feel is being ignored.
"The general furor is about the ruling class versus the general public," said Pete Mackin of U.P. Campaign for Liberty.
Several speeches were given to rally the crowd to action. The goal was simple.
"Shedding light on the role of government, about returning to the Constitution and the principle of a Republican government and finally, people participating," Mackin said.
Tea Party participants are furious about big government spending for things like cash for clunkers and health care reform.
"They don't even want to read their bills that they pass,” said rally coordinator Jim Hafeman. “That shows an indication that they're getting paid too much for a job they know too little about."
Tea Party supporters also feel a massive national debt will endanger our freedoms in the future.
"If you take your family checkbook and you have X amount of money in the bank and you spend yourself into a negative balance, you can't go to the bank and get a credit card and expect things to get better,” said Mary Sears of Concerned Citizens of the U.P. “They're not going to be better, and that's how our country is right now."
The most important thing to the supporters is clear.
"One word: freedom," said Tea Party supporter David Kaltenbach.
And to defend it, the Tea Party supporters hope to get people with similar concerns to write their political leaders and vote in the upcoming elections.
After the speeches, rally attendees were invited to learn more about candidates running in the fall with informational booths as well as meet-and-greet forum.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWLUC