By the tender age of 13, Robert Santholzer was half deaf and had a crippled knee thanks to what he says was faulty medical care in Czechoslovakia's socialized health-care system.

The Czech native, who says he has received "much better" care during the nearly 40 years he has spent in America, says he fears President Barack Obama's health-reform plans threaten to bring his childhood fears of socialized medicine to reality.

More than 400 people joined Santholzer to line the grassy lawn in front of Utah's Capitol Saturday in a "tea party" protest reminiscent of the revolutionary Tea Party in 1773 when colonists threw tea into the Boston Harbor to protest unfair taxes.

"We're bringing in natural gas from Russia and putting Americans out of jobs," said Travis Loss, who helped organize the Vernal tea party protest in April and the current rally. "America doesn't have a never-ending credit limit. Our children will be stuck with that bill."

More than 1,400 nationwide Independence Day rallies were planned for people to protest what they call unfair government actions.

Organizers offered speeches and helped set up booths to inform the people about some of the government changes being planned, including socialized health care and the cap and trade plan that would put a cap on greenhouse emissions.

Sandy resident Andrew Pullens proudly held a "Liberty or Death" flag representing the flag flown during the American Revolution.

"They're trying to push the cap and trade bill under while Michael Jackson died," said 25-year-old Kathleen House from Wallsburg. "It would be capping what we could produce in energy and hike up the price. It would kill our economy."

Others like Santholzer call the plan a move toward socialism.

"The idea of everyone having health care is a wonderful concept. The idea of having a clean environment is wonderful, too," Loss said. "But who's financially responsible for it?"

Pullens spent 10 years overseas in Germany and other places with the U.S. Army, fighting against communism and watching people struggle in Berlin.

After 20 years of fighting for others to be free, Pullens said America must hold tightly to its own freedom.

"I was there when President Reagan said to (Mikhail) Gorbachev to take that wall down," said Pullens, 45.

Yet with the hot sun beating down and the July 4 holiday promising fireworks ahead, the crowd dispersed to about 200 after about an hour of speeches.

"The ultimate goal is to get people in our government who are going to represent us," Loss said. "Right now, we just want to educate people on what's going on in our government."

E-MAIL: lgroves@desnews.com