Organizer Andy Stevens, a Tea Party supporter, said "Government needs to make some serious cuts." He said both Congress and Olympia are "out of control." He added that the government must operate within the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
When it comes to health care, Stevens told a reporter that government can't make one citizen a criminal for not buying health insurance. He compared that with driving while drunk, saying he didn't like the idea of someone being put in jail for not having health insurance.
Protestors carried a variety of signs, including "No more Chicago politics," "More taxes, less jobs," and "Give us back our country." Former Anacortes Mayor Dr. Bud Strom said, "I'm standing here because our freedoms are being eroded." He was waving an American flag.