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Frederick residents concerned about government spending took to the streets of downtown Frederick Wednesday to rally in protest of U.S. Tax Day.

Hundreds of Frederick County residents braved the cold rain and made their way from one government building to another, where they implored city and county lawmakers to be wary of increasing taxes, wasteful spending or further burdening residents with irresponsible financial decisions.

The protest, coined Frederick's TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party, was organized by Blaine Young, a business owner, radio personality, Gazette columnist, and former Frederick city alderman. The protest coincided with the April 15 tax-filing deadline

Frederick was one of many places across the country that staged a tax-day play on the 1773 protest when Bostonians disposed of an English tea shipment into the Boston River in protest of British tea taxes in America.

In Frederick, many self-proclaimed "right-wing conservatives" took to the steps of the government buildings to give speeches against taxes, wasteful spending, and bailouts of major corporations and banks, and a perceived move towards socialism in the new presidential administration.

Dave Smith, a Frederick resident fresh back from a tour in Iraq, was one of many who took to the steps of City Hall, telling the crowd: "Too long we have had representatives down in Annapolis and at the federal level that don't represent us. We need to go down there and say: For the people by the people, not by the people and for my buddies."

Protestors, equipped with American and Confederate flags and anti-government signs, made their way from City Hall on North Court Street to Winchester Hall and ended at the Frederick County Board of Education. Sporadic chants of "U-S-A" burst throughout the two-hour movement.

Even children held signs asking the government to spare their piggy banks.

Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett (R-Dist. 6) of Buckeystown, the lone Republican on Maryland's congressional delegation, attended the rally, and said that he was proud to see Frederick residents express the conservative ideals that he often fights for alone in Congress. Bartlett was presented with bags of tea at the end of the demonstration.

"I'm so pleased that there was a huge turnout in spite of the rain," Bartlett said. "What a good district I represent, even though I'm sometimes alone in fighting for us. But I couldn't do that and still stay in office without a district like this."

Joe Abasso, a Frederick city resident, said it was important for him to take part in the rally to make a statement for all Americans.

"I love my country," Abasso said. "But I'm retired on a fixed income, and couldn't possibly make ends meet with the government taxing us this way. Nobody can."

E-mail Erica L. Green at egreen@gazette.net.