Hi All,
This morning's Jackie Spier town hall was a big success for sensible people.
It opened with a presentation by Jackie. She explained that we need health care reform because people with acne, people who have had C-sections and/or people with too good a bill of health are and will continue to be denied because of it.
Per the official and well-known strategy, Ted Kennedy's impeccable (gag) record was attached to this effort as a way to legitimize it - that we should just pass it in his honor.
At first I thought I and a few others would be the only people representing our country and sensibility based on the number of Obama / Spier sign-bearing attendees. And indeed, at first it appeared only a couple of people were refraining from the Jackie love fest and making contrary comments to her speech.
But someone out in left field (literally, relative to where she was standing on home plate) called her on the fact that the similar government Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid plans are heading to ruin. It seemed that comment electrified the sensible people.
Before I go on, I just want to say how much I realized how important it is to go to these. It is a WORLD of difference when there is a critical mass of people together. Even if you don't ask a question yourself, just your applause helps out people that do. It was amazing how the event went from me feeling timid and alone to being emboldened and excited when the other anti-health care plan folks stood up.
I was shocked at question time at the ratio of Obama-lytes vs. sensible people. Pleasantly shocked, that is. I would say there was 2 pro-Jackie speakers for every 8 anti-Obamacare respondents.
Here's a few things I can remember...
First of all, the audio system was broken most of the time. I had to cover my ears. Questions were asked how well the govt can repair my body if they can't make a PA system operate.
0) No one made a comment about the costs of health care induced by illegal alien emergency room visits! Jackie *did* say that E.R. costs for non-paying people will be just taken care of with this bill, but would not explain how this money magically doesn't still come from us.
1) Of the 3 people that stood up with their stories of denied coverage, 2 (and maybe all 3) were government employees (a former policewoman and a wife of a retired firefighter) and one was a university professor with a dead beat Stanford PhD MD. It begs the question, if these people can't trust the government promises, how can we?
2) A very articulate senior asked Jackie if she would take forgo her gold-plated congressional plan and instead take the proposed plan first for a time, THEN tell us how great it is before voting on it. Jackie proudly responded she does not take her plan; she prefers her husband's private industry plan. She seemed to miss that that statement was not helping her cause. People cried out that she should take it anyway and she went on to the next questioner with a smirk.
But right then someone behind me said "how many govt contracts does your husband get". She *froze in her tracks*, leveled a stare at said person, paused seemingly ready to explode, then moved on. If looks could kill...
3) Someone said, why not let the private industry solve the problem; her answer was that under this plan the insurance companies will THRIVE.
4) A latin senior woman with an eloquently prepared statement describing her democrat voting record asked in a shaking but emphatic voice how we will pay for this plan. I believe this was answered with the typical "well if Bush didn't spend the money in Iraq we'd still have plenty of money".
5) A fellow right in front of me asked where in the constitution - which he had held in front of him - does it say Americans have a right to health care, much less control of banks, control of private enterprise via 'czars', control of energy, etc. Jackie said that the constitution says congress can make laws, and this is another law. And that the financial bailout was done because republican economists told her to.
6) One fellow clearly had her going as he sincerely said how much he wanted single payer health care. But then he said people are also entitled to houses, gas, jobs, food, etc. It was enormously amusing to watch how long into his speech he got before her face registered she realized he was being disingenuous.
7) A reform *supporter* asked why tort reform (reducing lawsuit damages to reduce malpractice costs to reduce premiums) was struck from the bill. She said it was because the democratic party thought was too political and would make it harder to get the bill quickly through. She also pointed out that CA law limits lawsuits to $250k which has made care cheaper here. Doesn't seem that cheap to me, but if so I have to acknowledge that as a good thing.
8) Someone from China listed the facts: $11T in US debt today, projected to double by the end of BHO's term, 25% of our debt to China, $1500 per American per year to service the debt, etc. He asked, how can we ever pay for all this and how can assume China will buy more debt? No direct answer to the question.
9) In a mini debate behind me, I heard a man agree that health care would be run by "govt thugs" but would prefer that - and would prefer anything - to insurance companies.
10) A young gal with a prepared statement listed facts about other countries with socialized medicine; 3x the breast cancer death rate than the US, 100s of thousands on waiting lists, 40% of tax revenues in Ireland go to health care. Jackie claimed the person wasn't listening close enough to her answer and just went on.
11) A senior said it was better to do what some countries have done - to just give out the health care and deal with cost containment later.
12) Someone who grew up in the projects and went to public schools (after which had to have his mother teach him to read as they failed) pointed out that Jackie was *not* elected by a majority of voters in her district. She was elected by a majority of *registered* voters. The majority of people did not vote at all - but implied that they *will now*. He also asked how a Catholic can sponsor a bill that pays for abortions; she said it doesn't, folks in the crowd said it still does due to the failure of some amendments (I don't know the truth of this).
13) Someone asked how she can justify the govt intruding into people's lives with certain aspects of the bill - which he called out by page and section. She said it was just to make sure people making $40k or less are really making that little. Very few people were satisfied with that answer.
14) Due to the microphone outage, one guy had to come forward (as her aides directed) to ask his question - the police almost tackled him not realizing this was not an attack.
15) Jackie and other liberal orgs were handing out literature and forcefully ordering people to register on the way in. Why can't we have our own registration booth next time?
If I missed your comment I'm sorry! But again, this really was a success in our almost entirely liberal neighborhood.
--Matt W
Thanks Matt. Wonderfully done! And it's good to know that even in our crazy Liberal area, people are beginning to wake up and take notice that our government is totally out of control, and that we have to TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!
wtp
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