Sens. Reed, Whitehouse hold health care forum
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Senators Hold Health Care Forum
Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse answer questions about health care reform in West Warwick.
Published: August 20, 2009
Updated: August 21, 2009
WEST WARWICK, R.I.—About 200 people packed a community dinner on Thursday to question Rhode Island’s two Democratic senators about health care reform, with many saying they understand the need for changes in the system but question whether the federal government can be trusted to manage a massive overhaul.
Most who questioned Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse were skeptical of Washington’s efforts to reshape the nation’s $2.5 trillion health care system by extending coverage to nearly 50 million Americans who lack it.
Others who attended the event at the West Warwick Senior Center acknowledged a need for change and expressed support for elements of the plan under consideration in Washington, such as a government-run insurance option.
Carol DeAngelis, 64, of Warwick, said the push for health care reform felt rushed and that lawmakers waited too long to hear their constituents’ concerns.
“We’re not stupid at all. We see a bill with a lot of questions,“ DeAngelis said, though she did not elaborate. “They’re making us very skeptical of the Obama administration, and I’m trying to be open, I’m trying to support — but you’re really making us skeptical.“
About 30 minutes into the 1 1/2-hour forum, a woman who had been in an overflow room — where crowd members were also permitted to ask questions — entered the main room and accused Reed of ducking scheduled meetings with her and demanded her turn at the microphone.
“I made three appointments with you in Garden City and you didn’t show up for one meeting,“ said the woman, Patricia Sehl.
She said her husband was a doctor and she is furious over President Barack Obama’s comments suggesting physicians might be motivated by profit to amputate a diabetic’s foot or remove a child’s tonsils.
“How stupid of Barack to make those claims, and you two senators didn’t come on the airwaves and back the doctors,“ Sehl said.
Paul Phaneuf, 60, of Woonsocket, agreed that the system needed to be reformed but said he was pessimistic based on the management he had seen of Social Security and Amtrak.
“How am I supposed to trust the federal government to not invade more of my life rather than less when that is the historical track record?“ he said.
Whitehouse said he had a more optimistic view of the federal government, crediting it with putting a man on the moon and playing an integral role in the civil rights movement.
“It has not all been a disaster, and there is nobody else that can change the dynamic of the marketplace when there is a market failure,“ Whitehouse said.
There were also supporters at Thursday’s forum. Near the end of the discussion, one man asked people in favor of a health care overhaul to stand, and many in the room did.
“The talk has been dominated by people who are critics and whose manners are different than some of us might like,“ he said.
On Wednesday, Rep. Jim Langevin, a Democrat, held a forum in Warwick that drew hundreds of supporters and detractors of health care reform, many of whom had to stand outside because the city council chambers could not hold them. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, also a Democrat, plans a public forum for Sept. 3, his spokeswoman said.
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Reader Reactions
C Ann C..
What a very angry response. Did I somehow hit a nerve with you? Did the truth get you mad? You say you believe in Christian values: then why would you deny the least among us the basic needs of decent health care? Big deal if Obama has a Muslim background. All you know of Islam is what horrors the news chooses to show to work people like you into a tizzy. Playing on your fears, and bigotry. Not your president, then go someplace else. Get over yourself. You are so hateful. Just because you say you would have voted for Alan Keys does not mean you are ok with people of color. American principals? You are clueless as to what they are. What that police officer did was STUPID! If I showed my ID and proved I lived in my home, and got arrested anyway I would be pissed off too! But there goes your bigotry again. Oozing out all over this page. It is you who should do some reading.. all these financial woes did not suddenly occur on January 20.Banks closing, companies closing, that did not just happen. Have you ever heard of the “trickle effect”? Did job only start going over seas in January? I suggest you take econ101 at Brown or PC. You are anger you have been laid off and want to blame someone that’s fine. How do like the extended benfits that Obama gave you?
Many executive order were signed by Mr. Busch. Some will not even take effect for another 5 years. Please go to the library of congress and do some reading.
If you think you can hurt my feelings or anger me in any way, you will have to try harder than this. I used to get upset and disgusted with people such as yourself, now I am just amused. I find the denial of prejudice comical, when it is clear. The only ones who claimed Obama was the Messiah and a false prophet were the right wing..fox news watching, 700 club wackos.
Now, touting Christian values does not make you one. Would Jesus deny health care? If you are a true Christian, you would remember all the things Jesus told you to do. Not one of them is evident in any of you tirades. Jesus would not reject anyone..as you do.
I will pray for you. Pray that you gain a better understanding of the human condition. Pray that put aside your hatred for those who are different from you. Pray that you become less selfish, and more giving of you heart. I will pray that you find peace and the anger you feel for you fellow creation of God, subside.
May God show you a better way.
Jesus loves everybody…..even you.
Kenneth and all you “Cash for Clunkers” Obamacare; again like I’ve said, you people don’t read didly squat about anything do you? I have the complete RSC’s (and if you read aboutg who that is you’d know - Republican Study Committee) plan on my computer now - would you like a copy of that? They address EVERY issue that people have been asking that these RI politicians can’t reply with a definitive answer because they’ve refused to even TALK to them! Rep. John Boehner (and if you’ve been paying attention to the House actions on TV you’d know who HE is - the Republican Minority Leader - wrote a letter to your President about their offer for needed changes and addressing bipartisan with the Democrats in working up an alternate plan that would satisfy the American public. But YOU had NO idea about that either! Geez, people, stop being ONE sided and LOOK at BOTH sides for ONCE in your sorry liberalistic minds! The Democrats refuse to look at the Republican side of it; Obama refused to reply to House Minority Leader John Boehner which tells me that all the left want to do is to put out a plan that they believe is the correct one and nothing else is right! The RSC’s plan offers the public to “OPT” out of it if they so desire without penalties; but I guess you didn’t read about that either! The RSC’s plan offers PORTABILITY (and if you have and smarts as to what that is, that means something that can be taken with you no matter where you are) and that means that their plan offers people choice to shop across state lines….the democrat plan…has nothing about that! The RSC’s plan has a specific clause stating that at no time will any “FUNDS from this plan be used for requested ABORTIONS nor will any funds be used from providers of this plan to fund for abortions.“ (excluding rape cases, health of the mother in case of death, or health of the unborn that might cause death) and those are the only exclusions….the democrat plan…...NOTHING about that at ALL! I guess you didn’t read that either! The RSC’s plan offers tax incentives for healthy patrons, tax incentives for doctors, hospitals…but does NOT raise taxes beacuse of that…..and in our past it had always been the Democrats who RAISED taxes, the Republicans LOWERED taxes, but having a Democrat run Congress in the last 8 years (or did you FORGET THAT!) THEY’RE the ones who raised our taxes in the last 4 years being in Congress! But you forgot…as always with liberal supportinbg democrats do - they tend to forget the past and blame the one before them on everything. Geez, people! GO BACK TO HISTORY 101 and get educated! GO TO GOVERNMENT CLASS 101, too, while you’re at it!
You still blame Bush for our $2.3 Trillion (that’s with a “T”) debt now? Look up the Wall Street Journal and see what our debt was back from 2007-2008 - - - we were in the GREEN up to 1.5 points above BEFORE your President stepped in his pile of dung in office; after his 1st 4 mos. in office, we dipped BELOW into the RED zone neary 4 points….lower than all the other countries in the world! People who don’t read really astound me as to their so-called INTELLIGENCE!
Its not about race - it’s about a health care program that is being touted for how wonderful it will be for everyone! What they are not saying is that perhaps we have 45 million now without health insurance. If this plan passes, we’ll have 30 million without insurance—- bottom line is that the government is not enforcing laws now on the books, or fixing their gaffes that are failing abysmally. Why should we trust them to get this right?
I like what our goverment is doing with health care reform because what we have now sucks and there is 50 million people out there without it.
Most of you people that are writing just like to complain and do nothing at least Obama is trying to do something for the majority of Americans not just rich.
We voted out most of the Republicans throughout the country because they did nothing for the majority plan and simple and they have no plan to at least try and fix our health care system all they do is lie and and throw stones. I havn’t heard one Republican with a plan yet and offer solutions to this problem.
And when I read when Republicans comments about how it’s obamas fault we are in this situation just goes to show how irresponsible they are and this time the one who got the most votes won.
Could you imagine if Mcann and Bimbo won he probably would be on his death bed and she would have quit because the Media picking on her asking questions like what are you doing about health care America.Or she would ask Joe the Plumber to handle it.
I knew my comment would stir up someone like you, dngn, which is why I put that, just to see who’s shrunk their ethics on this nation to a man who hates it! I looked up Mr. O’s lurid past, he even admits his Muslim origin, bowing to another country (King of Saudi Arabia), apolgizine for America! I suppose you didn’t SEE that one! No, I did NOT vote for Pat Robertson, but I DO believe in CHRISTAIN values, unlike this President of yours! He’s not mine, I won’t ever recognize his position for what he’s doing to MY America! Obviously you wanted all of this government takeovers, rising taxes, bankrupt economy, banks foreclosing on homes that Obama started with Fanny Mae/Freddy Mac for people who coulnd’t aford to pay and now they drailed our entire system (guess you didn’t read about that either!), his Cap and Trade policy that will cause you to pay higher electicity, higher taxes, job losses (caused my employer to lay me off since sales dropped to an all time low causing company layoffs all over New England areas), but I guess you didn’t know about that either. You must be one of those safe people, saved by your “Messiah”, your “False Prophet” who promised you “change” and you THOUGHT by just hearing that ONE idiotic word that it was your sole reason to put this SCHMUCK in office who has YET to make apologies to the Boston policeman who was involved with arresting your cohort Gates who was being beligerant with an officer of the law and whom later was found that the police office was within his rights to do what he did and then your President invited him for beer as an “apology”? That wasn’t an “apology”, that was only his narcissistic way altering his admission to a statement he made that permitted more bigotry than ever in this country! Oh, but I guess you didn’t hear about that either! When is it when an African American policman arrests a caucasian on misdemeanor charges that no one else hears or reads about it, but when a caucasian police officer arrests an African American for the same charges, it’s all over the news and a President says the arresting officer “Acted Stupidly”?!!! Tell me when you’ve heard that and I’ll side with you on that one! The point is that it’s NOT that you think “people like me” don’t like a black President (but people like you, whatever your color may be) are still clinging to that obscured belief that causes the bigotry to spread even more; it has all to do with what a Presidential candidate’s principles and ethics of their history that decide how the future of this country is based on. I listened to a statement by Alan Keyes made prior to last year’s election, and if you heard what he said you would’ve been more apt to vote for him - I wish he would’ve had more political pull than Obama did because I would have voted for Alan Keyes over McCain and Obama - at least Keyes is more American (born American) and his ethics and American principles out do Obama four times over! So, now is my “bigotry” showing? Let’s see how YOURS stands up!
Mr.Greed(Reed) and “Mr.Uuughh..i dont know”(Whitehouse)....which one is Patrick and which one is Plankton?... from that certain show our kids watch…i would say Whitehouse is Patrick.
C Ann C…
you said a lot about what this is really about…“there goes the neighborhood” Your bigotry is showing. You all just don’t like having a black president. You wouldn’t like having any president that isn’t old white and fundamental christian. Did you vote for Pat Robertson when he ran? Yeah God’s rally happy with you right now.
Wake up… RI Reed and Whitehouse didn’t have the balls to have their own town hall meetings, they set it up as most RI politicians do at the Bank of Votes the Senior Center…As much as I think Langevine needs to go at least he held his own. And Where Oh Where has Little Patrick gone…
TIME FOR A CLEAN SLATE IN WASHINGTON
I was there. I arrived to get in line at about 4:30. The wait in line was about an hour and 15 minutes. I was able to make the cut and did get in. For those who have not been in the building, they had 2 rooms set up. The rooms were across a hallway from each other. One room held more people than the other (a guess, 110 in one room, the rest in the smaller room), the smaller room was the over-flow (the last people to make it in)room. I did RSVP and was on the list. Being one of the last people admitted, I was designated to the over-flow room. The event started with both Senators visiting the over-flow room and at that time I was able to speak with Senator Whitehouse briefly. Anticipating my I might not get called on, I had a prepared letter in an envelope with my comments as to which I was able to hand to the Senator.
Both Senators retreated to the larger room where they remained to hear comments and answer questions. The set up allowed all to hear (for the most part) the public and the Senators, no matter what room you were in. There were microphones and speakers in the over-flow room to allow this to take place. The only difference was visual. When not in the over-flow room, I roamed the hallway to glance in the larger room. I left just before 7:30 and there’s one thing I want to say. As a fact, I can state that, for the most part, this event went off in an orderly fashion…unlike what has been shown and reported in the media at other similar events. I was happy with that.
Good question, MM! You took the words out of MY mouth! Yeah, VERY poor management by BOTH these SCHMUCKS! Reed having a “dual” town hall meeting with his buddy Whitehouse at the last minute shows you what kind of a person he is. Ch. 12 aired a segment of it of persons asking questions, too - it looked over-packed on TV. I was there, too, and did the RSVP but I arrived too late and was near the door with 15 people in front of me when a policeman came out and said it was “full”! We (my husband and I) went home - it was too hot out there to stand around! I was at Langevin’s Wed. night and got there earlier, so I was able to get into the 2d row of seats up front and saw him up close and personal. He got his “boos” from a lot of people there! I honor his dedication being in the condition he’s in and I would’ve thought he’d have a change of mind about this healthcare, but he’s the same along with Whitehouse and Reed! They’ll pass this thing without our voices heard! Once it’s passed, it will be LAW and we can’t get OUT OF IT!!! That’s what so bad about it! I think the main reason they’re going for it is because of strong-arm Pelosi, Reid and Obama! They’re scared of them! Scared of being against him! That’s the reason!
Get out to the next ones - I’m going to the Westerly one - out in the open, bigger space for larger crowds. It ought to be interesting. Need to carpool?
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