(Rep) Griffith addresses health care issues (Townhall in HSV,AL)(real,not staged like Obama's)

The Huntsville Times ^ | Friday, July 03, 2009 | Brian Lawson

[WayneM]

Huntsville Congressman Parker Griffith faced a crowd of more than 100 people Thursday night who wanted answers on plans for health care reform, an issue Congress is working on now.

There were vocal advocates for a single-payer system similar to ones in Europe and Canada. Maybe a larger contingent - judging by the applause - was anxious that the government was going to take over health care.

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The event at the Davidson Center at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center was spirited, with cheers for tort reform and boos for higher taxes and long-winded questioners. The audience also seemed divided on whether health care is a right or a privilege.

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When pressed on the single-payer approach, Griffith said he doesn't support it.

He suggested a single-payer system would stifle health care innovation that has successfully brought down mortality rates for heart disease and cancer.

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[WayneM]

I attended this meeting, and it made me feel MUCH better. If the crowd in this room is any indication, the citizens DO NOT want socialized medicine and are willing to show up and speak out loudly about it.

The first big shock was that the event was not scripted or controlled in the least. It was an open forum and audience members were picked at random - usually by who was standing closest to the microphone caddies and was holding their hand up the highest. I was able to get in my two cents without any problem. The meeting was scheduled for one hour but it ran over to almost two hours to allow more people to speak.

There was a lady there who I recognized from the Mark Levin show about a week and a half ago. At the townhall meeting, as well as on Mark's show, she told the story of her husband who was in a terrible bike-car accident and was in ICU for an extended period of time. For her husband, treatment was apparently provided without concern for the insurance or hospital bean counters. She was concerned that if we adopt government healthcare, her husband would not have been given the treatment he needed. It was great to see her speak out in favor of our existing 1st class health care system.

Griffith is a first term Democrat, and I was surprised that I did not hear much from him I could disagree with. He seems acutely aware of what we will lose if we let the government take over health care, and acutely aware of government's propensity to screw things up. Maybe this is why the left wingers around here call him a DINO. I am also aware he might have spoken differently if a bunch of conservatives had not showed up (I was left with the impression we conservatives were in a definite majority in the meeting).

Combined with the heavy conservative turnout, the icing on the cake was that the event was organized and sponsored by two left wing advocacy groups that have had a history of clamoring for things such as "living wage" legislation and illegal alien amnesty.

All in all, it was a very worthwhile experience.

Some of your Senators and Reps may be scheduling similar events. Check their web sites and do a Google search or two. IMHO, you have a patriotic duty to attend and let them know how you feel.