Posted on 03/25/2010 8:39:20 PM PDT by Libloather
Cheers reign but jeers also greet Obama
By Deirdre Cox Baker, For The Globe Gazette
Thursday, March 25, 2010 10:05 PM CDT
IOWA CITY — Dr. Erik Edens stayed outside the University of Iowa Field House for hours Thursday, steadfastly holding a sign that read: “Destroyer in Chief … Stop Socialism.”
The 46-year-old Davenport native, who is now an Iowa City physician, was one of 250 protesters who showed their feelings during President Obama’s visit Thursday.
“I’ve never done anything like this before,” Edens said, explaining that he thinks the health-care reform bill that Obama signed Tuesday will destroy much of American society and the private insurance industry. Competition is important, he said, and the last thing Edens wants to deal with in his practice is more government paperwork.
The reform, however, is very welcome to longtime activist Karen Metcalf of Bettendorf. More Americans will support the plan as they learn what’s in it, she said. Under the bill, her 21-year-old son can remain on his parents’ insurance plan for five more years and that “just takes away the nervousness,” she said.
“The sun’s streaming down this morning,” she added. “It’s like a smile on all that’s happening.”
Protesters pumped up the volume Thursday, using a megaphone to magnify specific views over the crowd noise. At times, they and supporters were only a few feet apart on Grand Avenue, screaming at each other.
“We cannot afford this!” shouted Jeff Shipley, a 21-year-old University of Iowa student from Naperville, Ill. “Where is this in the Constitution?”
One of those applauding Shipley was Ken Brinur, 59, of Omaha, Neb. The stock trader drove to eastern Iowa to protest the plan, he said, predicting that change will come in November when voters oust many current members of Congress.
Linda Beard of Davenport was hiking in the Grand Canyon when health-care reform passed, and the advocate said she was thrilled at the news. She thinks the plan will save lives.
Quad-City residents Beard, Metcalf, Bev Strayhall and Sharon Holle joined other Obama supporters in downtown Iowa City three hours before the president arrived. About 100 people marched to the old Field House, carrying signs with slogans such as “Standing together for health reform.”
“This is like going to a football game that we’ve already won,” said Tom Carsner of Iowa City. The struggle to find tickets to the speech was reminiscent of trying to get into a Hawkeyes game, he added.
About 3,000 people actually received tickets to the speech from among 15,000 who applied.
One person who applied early but did not get a ticket was Loren Wright, 24, of Muscatine, Iowa. Wright and two buddies, all of whom attend Muscatine Community College, drove to Iowa City to join the protesters.
“You can’t force people to be compassionate to others,” said Ben Janowski, 20, of Muscatine.
He compared health-care reform with the Americans with Disabilities Act, both of which represent too much government interference.
Wright is not opposed to health-care reform but thinks he was not represented in the congressional vote earlier this week.
“The American people agree. We don’t want this forced on us,” he said.
Tom Cobb, a former Davenport resident, said he wishes the reform bill contained a public option. Still, he has a plan to get the insurance coverage he lacks. The 57-year-old medical researcher lives in Iowa City and said he hopes to marry a woman from Canada or New Zealand and become eligible for her coverage plan.
“Our health system is in pretty good shape,” Cobb said. “It’s the insurance industry that has the problems.”
"If I can pull the wool over the eyes of those idiots in Congress, I can CERTAINLY sell this desh-picable law to THESE chump shtudents in Iowa ..."
"I wonder if they know that they are going to pay an average of $1700 MORE on their shtudent loans now that I have NATIONALIZED it ..."
"Shuckers !!!"
fatal flaw in our voting system. once the leeches gain more than 50% of the voting block, its all over.
right to vote should be gained, only when you are a taxpayer. Anyone who lives on the public dime, loses that right. why should anyone who is a drain to society, be allowed to vote for more of the same?
Uh, I don’t think we want a moocher like that in our Military.
“The few, the Proud, the Stay-with-Mommies?”
Yeah, at 57 he is described as merely “a fomer resident of Davenport”. What an accomplishment! lol
Some of them, anyway. Most twenty-somethings have no idea the degree to which their futures are being stolen from them....
Who was it, some “Weiner” guy on O’Reilly
vehemently screaming that no one would be penalized
for not having insurance
and that the IRS would not be in charge of that enforcement.
vehemently screaming that no one would be penalized for not having insurance and that the IRS would not be in charge of that enforcement."
Yes. Guess he should have read the bill before he voted on it. Just kidding. He knew what he voted on, they just don't want the truth getting out to regular citizens before November. That's why he lost it on O'Reilly.
Liberlism: the irrational fear of self-reliance
My question also.
Liberalism: the irrational. Fixed it:)
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