By Alison Knezevich
Staff writer

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Retired business owner Fred Joseph stood in cold rain on the state Capitol steps Wednesday. Joseph, a regular Republican candidate for the House of Delegates, rattled off a list of taxes Americans pay.

State income tax.

"No more!" chanted hundreds of protesters from a crowd of umbrellas and American flags.

Sales tax: "No more!"

Gasoline tax: "No more!"

The crowd of almost 800 people in Charleston was part of the nationwide Tax Day Tea Party where Americans protested what they call out-of-control government spending.

More than 500 rallies were planned throughout the country, including West Virginia events in Beckley, Morgantown, Charles Town and other cities.

"We are citizens here to peacefully and respectfully and clearly express to our elected officials -- whether they be Democrats or Republicans, whether they be at the state level or the federal level or the local level -- that we are taxed enough already," said Steve Harrison, a former Republican state senator who emceed the event.

Speakers at the 90-minute rally touched on issues including environmental regulations, gun rights, the Employee Free Choice Act, and failed state legislation that would have made chain restaurants post calorie counts on their menus.

Putnam County business owner Michael Kidd got cheers when he said he didn't want to pay for health care for people who are "too lazy to work."

"They choose to watch television while I go to work," Kidd said. "They're able to hunt. They're able to fish. They're able to ride their four-wheelers. But they can't seem to find a job."

Many at the rally said they fear the overall direction America is taking.

"I'm terrified by the massive leaps toward socialism that this country is taking," said Crystal Newman, a home-schooling mother who addressed the crowd.

Other speakers included several high school students, radio host Michael Agnello, and former George Washington High School vice principal Pete Corbett.

South Charleston resident Michael Kawash attended with his wife, children and other family members. He opposes the federal economic stimulus plan and the role government has taken in the private sector, he said.

"I think that there's been a change of thinking in this country, as far as the role of government," he said. "People have forgotten what our Constitution means."

Ralliers held signs saying, "Mr. President, Stop Stealing from My Piggy Bank" and "Revolution is Brewing."

Other signs said "Imagine No Liberals," "Obama: One Big Awful Mistake America," "We are a Christian Nation," and "Read 'Atlas Shrugged.'"

One man held a flag picturing an assault rifle that said "Come and Take it."

The rally ended with a prayer where the Rev. Brandon Hudson asked God to help West Virginia add a marriage amendment to its state constitution.

Event organizer Thorney Lieberman said he was "thrilled" with how many people turned out for the event, even in bad weather.

"One of the long-range plans is to get the state organized," he said. "Everyone's interested in finding fiscally responsible candidates from both parties in upcoming elections."

West Virginia Citizen Action Group has held town hall meetings on the stimulus plan, and has campaigned in support of President Obama's budget proposals.

CAG director Gary Zuckett said Wednesday that most Americans are getting a tax cut under the Obama administration.

"The information that I've been getting is that many of these tea parties have been funded by large, rightwing donors and coordinated by Republican operatives," Zuckett said.

Lieberman said the protests are part of a "bottom-up" movement. The County Conservative Foundation paid for hotdogs served at the rally and for billboards advertising the event, he said.

"That's about the extent of it," he said. "There's no organization behind this."

Reach Alison Knezevich at alis...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1240.