Danny and Anita Rising and Joan and James Penn went to Washington, D.C. for the 9-12 Tea Party march. They are shown here standing outside the back of the White House. It's been said that "men and women lie, but numbers don't."

Trillions of dollars in debt and close to 10 percent of its working adults unemployed, the opinion of many Americans is this nation's leaders need to put personal and political goals aside for the better of the country and its future.

"It seems the U.S. government is making decisions that are having a profound effect on our country," said local resident Danny Rising. "These decisions are costing us jobs and hurting our economy."

Fed up with excessive government spending and policies stripping away the freedoms Americans hold so dear, more than one million protesters from across the country marched through Washington, D.C. Sept. 12 hoping to make an impact that would be felt from coast to coast.

"We went to Washington (D.C.) wanting to make a point; hopefully we did that," said local resident Rainee Clary. "It's time the people of this country stand up and make themselves heard, it's time we got our country back."

Called the Taxpayer March on Washington, the event was organized by several groups, including FreedomWorks, an activist and policy group headed by former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey; the 912 Project, a group led by conservative talk show host Glenn Beck; and the Tea Party Patriots.

"Our message is that governments at all levels have been spending too much money," according to the Tea Party Movement's March on Washington Web site. "The federal government is especially guilty of this, as they pile up the debt, deficits and unfunded liabilities. They are taxing, borrowing or printing money with no end in sight.

"This madness has to stop, and that is why we are demanding that they stop the wasteful spending and stop burdening taxpayers with more debt."

Many protesters arrived by way of bus caravans to Washington, D.C. during the late hours of Sept. 11 and the wee hours of Sept. 12. Attendance for the march has been estimated anywhere between hundreds of thousands and 1.5 million.

According to Rising, most of those present at the event paid their own way, all with the intention of making their voice heard.

"It was a personal choice of many of the people there," Rising said. "People from every state were well represented; and it was a very diverse crowd, full of the young and old, white and black ... everybody."

Several Republican congressional leaders spoke at the rally, including U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and U.S. Rep. Jim DeMint (RS. C.).

Knowing everyone could not make it to Washington, D.C., Christian-based organization Cherokee Cares held a rally downtown at the First Baptist Church of Gaffney.

"A lot of the concerns people have is over government spending money that we don't have," said John Major of Cherokee Cares. "These decisions are putting us further in debt to countries that don't necessarily have our interests in mind.

"The U.S. Constitution is getting challenged and weakened everyday, and it's time for us to wake up."