Tea Partiers Protest in Washington on Tax Day

WASHINGTON (CN) - Tea partiers rallied in the nation's capital on Tax Day, wrapping up a 47-city nationwide tour. Hundreds of protesters gathered at Freedom Plaza, carrying signs that read "Read my lipstick - No new taxes," "Kiss my grassroots" and "End the Fed," as speakers called on constitutional conservatives to "take back Washington" in November.

One speaker said the group demanded tax simplification. "Why doesn't Obama mosey on down here and explain his stimulus bill? I don't think he's going to come."

The tea party materialized last year during debates over the economic stimulus package.

Another speaker blasted government spending, saying, "The government doesn't make money. We're producers. They're consumers. It's time for those little piggies to go home. And come November, we'll send them home."

The crowd spontaneously erupted into cheers of "U-S-A," "the most beautiful letters in our alphabet," a speaker said.

A New York Times/CBS News poll released Thursday found that tea party supporters were wealthier and more educated than the general public. Polltakers surveyed more than 1,500 tea party supporters for the poll.

The poll revealed that tea party supporters tend to be white, male, married and older than 45. And while supporters tend to be Republican, the group holds views that are generally more conservative than Republicans and insist that they are not partisan.

The tea party tour began three weeks ago in Nevada, where former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin addressed a gathering of more than 9,000 people. Palin spoke again Wednesday at a tea party gathering in Boston.

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