This was a very interesting gathering. I walked over to the other side when I couldn’t understand what they were screaming at us. I had a few really interesting conversations with some quite reasonable people and a few with people who I would describe as just “mean” and I would have to say were intimidating and I am not easily intimidated.
Most of those I spoke with didn’t necessarily support Obama or a socialist health care plan; they just felt there should be some change to the present health care system to make it more available and affordable to everyone. Most of us agreed that there should be HSAs and that everyone should have some “skin in the game” so to speak. Such as, if you are going to receive medical care and you don’t have insurance, then you need to pay something (I believe a sliding scale based on income and number of people in the family would be a good beginning). So many young people making over $75,000 a year choose not to purchase health insurance. When they need treatment, they need to set up a payment schedule to reimburse for services as a private pay.
We also agreed that the bill shouldn’t be steam rolled through the congress and that any plan should be tested on a small market (we thought congress would make a good control group) before rolling it out to the entire country. I am not sure they all understand what “single Payer” means or what the concept of competition across state borders would do to insurance company competition and reducing rates.
They agreed that when someone walks into an emergency room with a $50 manicure, a pedicure, a pack of cigarettes and a Blackberry, then they can afford to pay for part of their health care bill. I was insulted toward the end of the rally when a Doggett worker came down the sidewalk and asked all the supporters to move down toward the exit where Doggett would be coming out and form a barrier between Doggett and the “rest of us,” meaning me because I was still chatting with supporters. I asked him why they didn’t want the opposition there and he said because they feared for Doggett’s safety? I asked him if he had looked across the street at the people who were carrying opposition signs; some were in wheelchairs, some were carrying oxygen tanks, a good majority of them were in their 70’s and hardly looked like a radical group. He said yes, he could see them but you could never tell which one of them might be dangerous. It was obvious that they didn’t want any opposition signs in the vicinity of Doggett’s exit. How sad is it that they can’t address their constituents.
Also, in speaking with some of those who were allowed inside the church, they were not really getting any information either. It was apparently the same obtuse answers and well known two-step we are getting from so many of congress.
In the long run, it seemed a lot more productive to cross the street and talk with those on the other side than to just stand on opposite sides, wave your signs and yell. Not everyone was friendly but most were and they were also surprised that someone would cross over and ask their opinion and listen whether there was agreement or not.
It was a good experience but I’m not sure any of our representatives actually gave a tinker’s damn about what was going on outside the meeting. They are just consumed with their own power and make us feel like lepers by not having a dialog with us. How sad they have forgotten why they were elected (“I don’t care what my constituents want, I am voting the way I want”) or what freedoms the Constitution bestowed on us as citizens of the United States . We have not yet begun to protest
We will see you at the next meeting.
Billie
"A people afraid of it ' s Government is called Tyranny. A Government afraid of it ' s people is called Liberty ."