Congressman David Schweikert was greeted by a large and lively crowd when he came home for a “listening session” last week.

About 200 crowded into the School District’s Learning Center Thursday evening, including a group of protesters.

A group known as Billionaires for Wealthcare showed up dressed in their best “old money” attire to poke fun at perceived influence peddling in government.

 The Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Billionaires for Wealthcare is one of several mock protest groups operating nationwide. The group’s website includes the motto, “If we ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and they carry satirical placards with sayings like “Invest in America: Buy a Congressman.”

Ken Lakin, one of the protesters and a resident of Peoria, said they object to the typical Republican “party of ‘no’” stance on issues.

“We need to be working together to keep our country strong,” Lakin said. “If we don’t, we will all go down.”

For his part, Schweikert said he is working with colleagues across the aisle on legislation to address the key issues of debt and jobs.

Schweikert said actuaries have prepared a report stating Medicare is unsustainable in its current form, while many people don’t want to make any changes to the program. He polled the audience and about one third indicated they would not want changes to the program.

“Political experts say never to get up in front of an audience and talk about Medicare,” Schweikert said. “I’m going to stand up and tell you the truth.”

Schweikert said he has been working with employers in the district trying to put together a job fair. He said he is being told by the business owners that there are too many rules.

“I am working on regulatory reform to get businesses to hire again,” Schweikert said. “We need you to help us get the Senate to pass this.”

One resident challenged Schweikert on this point saying that regulation would have prevented the 2008 financial crisis.

“There is nothing to protect us from the scams,” the resident said.

Members of the audience were clearly not pleased with Washington’s inability to come together to come up with solutions, particularly in the economy. Some told Schweikert they weren’t that interested in the debt or Medicare, they wanted to know where the jobs are.