Augusta - The ongoing Wall Street protests triggered a demonstration in Augusta Thursday.

A group of around 30 people met at the State House to urge congress to pass a jobs bill and they want wall street to pay for it.

Their message was loud and clear at a state house rally. Around two dozen trades workers, state employees and community members gathered to talk about the impact the recession has had on Mainers. "Too many Mainers are struggling as this recession continues," said Sarah Bigbey of the Maine AFL-CIO. "People are still out of work. We have lost homes, jobs, health insurance, and pensions."

The group placed the blame squarely on Wall Street financial institutions. "We didn't create this economic mess. We're sure paying for it though," retired teacher Donna Dachs told the crowd.

The folks here, like Cokie Giles, President of the Maine State Nurses Association, say they want congress to pass legislation to create jobs. "The first one is good jobs with livable wages. There's a difference between having a job and having livable wages," Giles said.

They want to fund that jobs bill with what they're calling a financial transaction tax. A tax on the transactions made by major banks and investment firms that could total more than $300 billion.

Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins both voted against the president's jobs bill earlier this week. A move that angered the people gathered in Augusta. "What we're gonna do is ask Senators Snowe and Collins what side they're on. Are they on Wall Street's side or are they on Main street?" Giles asked the supporters.

The group took to the streets, marching in the rain to the federal building in Augusta to deliver a list of building projects in Maine they say need to be done, along with a check for $312 billion, the amount of revenue they say the financial transaction tax would generate annually.

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