Posted on 08/10/2009 9:30:14 AM PDT by RatsDawg
Tuesday night town hall meeting in Kalamazoo to focus on health proposals by Kathy Jessup | Kalamazoo Gazette Monday August 10, 2009, 11:29 AM
KALAMAZOO -- They've invited Michigan's two senators, one local congressman, plus some Kalamazoo Public Safety officers to ensure no one's right to free speech is compromised.
So far, organizers of a Tuesday night town hall meeting in Kalamazoo on national health-care reform say no federal lawmakers are expected to attend. Health-reform rallies
Kalamazoo Single Payer Across the Nation has three events planned for this week and next week.
Tuesday: 7 to 9 p.m. public information meeting at the Kalamazoo Public Library, 315 S. Rose St.
Friday: 4 p.m. rally that will begin in Bronson Park and continue with a march to the nearby office of U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph. Upton opposes the current House health-care bill.
Aug. 18: 4 p.m. rally at Upton's office in St. Joseph.
But citing the "increasingly raucous nature" of similar meetings nationwide, local sponsors say a police presence should aid in airing a diversity of views on how the United States should address health-care coverage.
An organization called Kalamazoo Single Payer Across the Nation is sponsoring the public information meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in the Van Deusen Room of the Kalamazoo Public Library, 315 S. Rose St.
Chris Killian, KSPAN co-founder, said the group believes "cradle-to-grave" health care is "a basic human right" and KSPAN is pushing the Kalamazoo City Commission to adopt a resolution supporting a publicly run health plan that would compete with the private sector.
But Killian said Tuesday's forum, moderated by three city commissioners, will be an open exchange among residents who support and oppose government health care and those simply seeking more information.
"All the opinions on the matter are going to be respected," Killian said.
"Kalamazoo-area residents will be able to publicly discuss their ideas on health-care reform and share their stories about how they've fared in the current system."
U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, who won't attend, conducted a town hall forum via telephone two weeks ago on the House Democratic health bill, said Sean Bonyun, Upton's communications director.
Lawmakers report mixed responses from constituents.
"We have received calls, the majority of which have expressed a dissatisfaction with the current health-care insurance system," said Matt Williams, an aide to U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat. "People are fed up with insurance companies raising their premiums without providing additional service. The frequent concerns we hear are that they want stability and a stop to rising costs."
Bonyun said a "flash poll" of 7,000 people who participated in his 6th District telephone forum found "80 percent of the folks were happy with their health care and adamantly opposed to the government interfering in their relationship with their own doctor."
Upton opposes the current House bill, saying it will "do more harm than good." Killian said moderators for Tuesday's forum will be Kalamazoo Vice Mayor Hannah McKinney and Commissioners Don Cooney and Stephanie Moore.
Meanwhile, KSPAN's two-page resolution asks Kalamazoo commissioners to endorse "a comprehensive, accessible, portable, affordable public option or an enhanced Medicare for all program ..."
Killian said the advocacy group wants city action before month's end, meaning the resolution could come back to the commission for a vote Aug. 17 or Aug. 31.
Officials say Tuesday's forum will be videotaped and copies will be made available to Upton, Stabenow and U.S. Sen. Carl Levin.
Contact Kathy Jessup at kjessup@kalamazoogazette.com or 388-8590.
Michigan Ping!
“We have received calls, the majority of which have expressed a dissatisfaction with the current health-care insurance system,” said Matt Williams, an aide to U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat. “People are fed up with insurance companies raising their premiums without providing additional service. The frequent concerns we hear are that they want stability and a stop to rising costs.”
Hahahahaha...they don’t read polls much up there, do they?
Dems “cradle to grave” healthcare is killing babies before they get to a cradle and pushing granny and grandpa to jump into a grave.
Going to a Democrat Health Care Town Hall meeting is bad for your health, just ask Kenneth Gladney.
We still need to get evryone we can to these meetings.
Up Date!
Friday: 4 p.m. rally that will begin in Bronson Park and continue with a march to the nearby office of U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph. Upton opposes the current House health-care bill.
Aug. 18: 4 p.m. rally at Upton’s office in St. Joseph.
Why do they have to schedule these while people work!
Wanna bet there will be NO SEATS, not a SINGLE ONE, available to non-Democrats???
Do you have a ping list for West Michigan? I rarely read the Kalamazoo Gazette, but happened to pick it up yesterday and saw that I had missed this library meeting. I posted an article about it this morning:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2314952/posts
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