Town Hall on Health Care, a closer look
Charles Djou Calls Town Hall Meeting (I love this guy!)Hawaii Free Press ^ | 08/26/09 | Hawaii Free Press
Posted on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 9:56:25 AM by BuckyKat
Health Care Town Hall Meeting: City Councilman Charles Djou Hosting at McKinley High Cafeteria
With no planned town hall meetings during recess from our congressional representatives, Councilman Charles Djou is stepping up to provide a forum for our concerns on health care. Come voice your opinion!
Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Linda Rasmussen and other experts will speak and field questions at forum sponsored by Honolulu Councilmember Charles Djou.
The meeting will be in the cafeteria of McKinley High School on Tuesday, August 25th. It will begin at 5:30pm and end at 7:00pm, so be sure to arrive early so you don't miss anything.
Neither Neil Abercrombie nor Mazie Hirono are having town hall meetings this month, claiming they had them back in the beginning of the summer and discussed health care then (which I'm sure were "well" attended by only the far lefties who support them).
Anyway, Neil's running for governor (gag) leaving his slot open at hopefully a good time for Djou to step into it.
Djou decided since our current representatives weren't having town hall meetings, he'd have one. It was well attended.
http://www.djou.com/
8/26/09 - Allright, guys - you already know by the title of the page that this is gonna be another Tea Party-like piece, so if you don't care about what's happening with the direction of this country, or may become offended by the views you probably already know I hold, please skip this particular Closer Look page...
That being said, I think I'm a pretty open guy. I esteem objectivity as one of the greatest virtues in life, and I'm always open to hear other opinions, just as long as it's all done in respect to the spirit of healthy, mature debate upon the issues and not done in bitter animus or blind, subjective emotion. These days, it seems almost everyone over 25 or so has an opinion, but when you dig deeper and ask how they came to whatever conclusions they have, few can substantiate them at all, at least in my blue-collar line of work. There, I am in close proximity to about 30 people every working day, and out of that 30, only two others make it a point to be well-informed, a couple more are marginally informed, and the rest have no clue. Yes, they know who they'd vote for, and that President Bush is evil, but beyond that? Not much more. But I can tell you one thing about those marginally informed or those who have no clue - they will almost always fall upon the side of the current default position. Meaning, for those without an opinion or for those with meekly-held opinions, they will naturally get bowled-over into believing whatever position the current political winds favor - the path of least resistence, the state of rest for any object, the flow of water, the... default position.
I mean, who of us could resist villifying the evil President Bush, Darth Vader Cheney, blood-sucking Rumsfield, Big business, Big Oil, the Iraq war? It was easy to do, and everyone did it (but not me, actually!), including those who had no clue, which is, sad to say, the majority. Aaaw, c'mon, don't get offended when I say the majority have no clue - you just go ahead and poll 30 people at work, and find out how many of them take any interest at all in politics, then come to your own conclusions. The point is, when President Obama got sworn-in, the default position was undeniably on his side, and the entire world got swept-up in the hooplah, yes? But how many of these people cheering really knew what he believed in? How many so elated really knew what he stood for? How many were aware of his extremely partisan voting record? It didn't really matter, though, right? I mean, he was coool, he was sophisticated, he was stylish, the world loved him, and first and foremost, he was the agent of change, right? Exactly what kind of change would that be, though? Well... Who knows? And who cares, right?
Well, thank goodness, at least now, his views are beginning to be brought into the light, and more people are starting to see the actual positions he really holds. I have no idea why it took so long for people to finally see it, after all, his voting record is there for anyone to see, and his own statements, for those looking, bolster the fact that he is not the centrist he'd like you to believe he is, but is actually extremely left of center. So why are we so surprised at what's happening now? To make matters worse, the entire Democratic leadership have all stated the same thing President Obama has said regarding health care - Nancy Pelosi, Howard Dean, Harry Reid, even Hillary Clinton! Yes, despite their claims today of Government control being limited to only an option (through the often-heard term public option), I've heard all of them say on several occasions, point-blank, that their ultimate goal is none other than a single-payer health system, or universal health care, two words for an exclusively Government-run system. Do we honestly think that the Government can operate anything better, more efficiently, and at less cost than the free market? Auwe!!!
And so, last night at Mckinley High School, Councilman Charles Djou organized a town hall meeting so the public could come and voice their opinions regarding this whole mess. Though both Mazie Hirono and Neil Abercrombie have each held a couple of town hall's regarding health care in previous months, they were so small and most people have never even heard of them. I mean, did they even make an announcement, or was it invitation-only? Last night, I can tell you one thing, for sure - no one even knew about them, and I only found out through a Google search. Thank goodness, they will have another one next month, but I wonder how much of it had to do with Councilman Djou pushing the envelope?
Whatever the case, the Gooch and I (wifey wanted to come real bad, too, but she had to work!) attended the meeting in earnest, and snuck quietly into the back parking lot of the building. Despite scenes of raucous crowds, sign-waving, bus-loads of activists, loud chanting, and opposing sides menacingly staking-out territory, as we've seen on television, the scene was very calm here at Mckinley High, at least from the outside, as we arrived...
I don't think anyone really expected scenes in Hawaii to turn as ugly as they do in the Mainland, as most of us here are pretty reserved, as you know. But that's not saying people aren't passionate here, especially with such changes in Government that will fundamentally affect all of us in a huuuge way. Councilman Djou worked as hard as possible to make sure everyone who wanted to speak publicly got their fair share of time, and was trying his best to have a respectful and fruitful meeting, visibly quieting any jeers and interruptions, from whatever side. Of course, all of it could not possibly be stopped, and the crowd was not shy in voicing either affirmation or dissaproval everytime someone made a statement.
Before the crowd got to step-up to the mic, however, there were three special guest speakers. Pearl Hahn (middle) is a Policy Analyst for the Grassroots Institute of Hawaii, with regular contributions to the excellent website, www.grassrootinstitute.org. Dr. Linda Rasmussen (right) is an orthopedic surgeon and advocate of medical malpractice reform, or tort reform, at least in regards to the health profession. And finally, Bruce Botorff (left) is the Associate State Director of the AARP, and the only panel member in favor of Presiden't Obama's health care policies.
Each was given ten minutes or so for an opening presentation, and all was quiet and respectful until the final member, Mr. Botorff, began speaking. Right then, it was highly apparent whose side the crowd was on!
Actually, it was kinda surprising, really. I mean, I expected a whole lotta support from Presidential supporters, but I'd say it was maybe 95% in opposition to his Health Care Plans. Of the small amount of people in favor, one even accused Councilman Djou of putting the evening together last-minute, and only to his own support base - which was completely base-less, however, as the meeting was actually announced on most of the major television networks weeks before this evening. I dunno, maybe when folks in this largely Democratic State hear from a fiercely anti-big-government Republican like Charles Djou, they just don't wanna come, who knows? The real test is when representatives Hirono and Abercrombie, both Democrats and both very liberal, hold their own meetings, now that the public is more aware - thank you, Mr. Djou! I'll definitely try to make those, as well!
But I honestly felt bad for Mr. Botorff, as he looked really, really... bad. I mean, he was completely and totally unprepared to give any real information and provide any facts on the matter whatsoever. As the other two on the panel freely threw out well-versed percentages, studies, quotes, real-life experiences from the field, and other pertinent facts, he kept saying the same things over and over again - "we can't sit and do nothing," "this governemment plan will lower costs," "this governenment plan will provide greater coverage," "this government plan will be better for everyone..." He was like an automaton cheerleader repeating bullet points off a single card, without any explanation whatsoever as to what the actual plans were or how they'd be implemented.
Dr. Rasmussen was probably the most impassioned speaker of all, as she is in the field herself as an orthopedic surgeon, and brought up both personal experiences and industry-wide information regarding the difficulties of operating with such outrageous lawsuits, the likes of which are squeezing physicians and driving many out of the business, raising costs and limiting care for everyone exponentially in the process. She spoke of how so many doctors are simply turning to new careers because of the astronomical costs of malpractice insurance, not to mention the lawsuits themselves! Over half of the money made from these lawsuits are directly lining the pockets of lawyers, and over 80-something percent (she gave exact number, but I forgot!) are rejected as fraudulent in the first place and tossed, but not after crippling the doctors with such a huge waste of time, sometimes several years for a single case, and almost unlimited amounts of money! For some of these doctors, just one case alone will put them out of business completely, even if proven innocent in the end! As many of you know, limiting the percentages and amounts a lawyer can earn in these cases, along with the amount people can sue for (no one is advocating people can't sue!) will, in itself, drastically reduce the cost of health care over-all. In other words, our good doctor argues that tort reform is not only preferable, but in fact, absolutely necessary, even though it is something the President stands adamantly against. Lucky you, trial lawyers!
Our remaining panel member, Pearl Hahn, was as equally prepared, and armed with perhaps more facts and studies than anyone else. Not surprising, though, as she is the Chief Policy Analyst at the think-tank www.grassrootinstitute.com. Among many other facts and numbers she pointed-out tonight, she brought to light a number the Government always likes to use - 47 million, or the amount of people who are uninsured in America today, and the biggest reason for over-hauling the system. What they fail to say, however, is that out of this number, about 9 million are individuals earning over $75,000 per year, and choose to forego insurance altogether. Another 10 million, almost, are, in fact, eligible for existing health plans now already provided by the Government, such as Medicaid and Medicare, but are not enrolled. Another 6 million are eligible for employee-sponsored insurance. And finally, another 10.2 million are not even citizens at all. She says half of this number is illegal and half legal, but most of the other studies I've read put the actual number of illegal aliens alone at closer to 20 million, and sometimes much more! But anyway, the point is, even Miss Hahn's number would leave us with 12 million, not 47 million, who are genuinely uninsured, and again, I think that's an extremely high-ball number. If the Government just provided insurance out-right to these 12 million, as Pearl Hahn explains, it would cost about $54 billion, a sliver of the total cost of President Obama's plan.
But after the distinguished panel spoke, it was finally time for the audience to get their say, and believe you me, the people were not shy about it. Here's a shot only seconds after announcing open mic, and the line quickly grew as the night progressed, along with the crowds, as a steady stream of people came walking in late:
Some were housewives, some were doctors; some were young, some were old; some were already well-informed, some were wanting just to be informed. Most just wanted more answers and clarifications regarding the plan, which, unfortunately, was not clarified at all except in the form of the bullet points I mentioned earlier through Mr. Botorff. There were plenty of facts given against the plan, however, as a few questioners even brought copies of the biggest and most important of several plans in Congress right now, the one with 1,100-plus pages of confusing details, most of which have not even been read by most Congressmen and Congresswomen! One part of the plan specifically mentioned states that a penalty tax will be levied upon companies making over $250,000, who refuse to take part in the Government-sponsored Health Care option! Option? Is that what they call an option?
Despite the rosy picture the media has portrayed of how great socialized health care is in other countries, the real story is only now beginning to get-out. Shouts from folks not wanting the socialized health care systems of Canadian, French, English, or Cuban design were everywhere, with one person in particular, well-qualified to speak on the matter, throwing-in his own two cents. A doctor who has practiced abroad and studied health care systems all over the world, he said that in such countries, you'll have to wait two months for any type of care whatsoever! Guess what happens when only one provider, the Government (or even a single company, for that matter!), becomes responsible for the care of every single person? You got it - rationed care. The Government itself will be responsible for determining who gets what medicines and what levels of care are sufficient for anything in limited supply, according to whom they conclude needs it the most, as they do in Canada, England, and in much of Europe.
The entire left, including the media, went ballistic when Sarah Palin talked about Death Panels, but guess what? All the countries with socialized health care are forced to ration, and when you ration care and services, it's only natural that someone will have to decide who gets what. Far-fetched? I don't think so, despite the ire and anger you'll get in saying such things. Sarah Palin should not have come out so crudely, and could probably have used a more tactful set of words, but when you take the gist of it, there's a lot of truth to that statement. Of course, it may not happen now, as President Obama and the leadership of the Democratic party can only hope to expand Governmental control over health care right now, not completely control it, but that's only because folks like us are standing against it. However, if their expressed, already-stated intentions of total Government control, or Universal Health Care, becomes a reality, you can bet your life there will be Government panels deciding who will get the appropriate medicines and treatments, and in no small degree of cases. Hey, don't argue with me, they all said it themselves - President Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Howard Dean, Hillary Clinton - all of 'em are pushing towards their ultimate goal of Government control of the health care system! If not now, then in 7, 10, 15 years, maybe, when we are ready for it, as President Obama has clearly said already, and that's verbatim.
Hopefully, regular folks like us, no, not well-organized, well-funded, powerful organizations, nor right-wing terrorist's, nor nazi's waving swastika's, nor those being un-American, as those at town halls across the country have already been called by the Democratic leadership, but regular folks from all walks of life, just like you see here:
It's all common sense, really, and these people all have a legitimite gripe. I mean, how are you gonna foster more competition when the Government controls everything? How can the Government provide better care and more medicine to millions more people than the already-crippled industry can even now barely accomodate, all at less of a cost, and on a more efficient level than private enterprise? When has anything Government-owned not become bloated like an enraged fugu? It's just not possible!
But alas, the one thing I always ask a particularly onerous and opinionated individual of the constantly-grumbling kind, is this - how would you fix what you're grumbling about? What would you do to make it better? Anyone can grumble, and it's easier to break something than to build or fix it. Well, I don't have a ten-point plan, but I do know a few things the Republicans, along with a few dissenting Democrats, have proposed, instead. And they make sense.
As Pearl Hahn stated, the number of uninsured are not 47 million as the Government claims, but closer to 12 million (I think it's less!), so fix what needs to be fixed for the benefit of the uninsured, but don't over-haul the entire system! And, as Dr. Linda Rasmussen stated, tort reform is an absolute necessity, and one that will increase the amount of doctors dramatically because they won't have to worry as much about frivolous lawsuits (remember - over 80 percent found frivolous!), and decrease the costs to everyone, as they won't have to charge nearly as much! And yes, bring down those dang walls that do not allow health plan carriers to cross State lines! Foster competition, they wanna? I don't think so. Heck, I'll skip my current plan if a larger company based in Idaho or Nevada were allowed to move-in and offer me something cheaper, and maybe even with better services, to boot! These are some of the biggest things we can do to make things better and more efficient in our country, but I'm sure there's a lot more that doctors and health professionals should decide upon, not politicians, especially those in Congress, some of whom have never run any for-profit company in their entire lives!
I really, really don't understand how the American public can continue to believe the President and his leadership in the Democratic party, all of whom are saying with their right hand I'm actually gonna give you more options through both Government and private sector care, when at the same time, with their other hand, it has been their expressed and clearly-stated intentions all-along, repeated over and over again over the course of many years now, that their ultimate goal is complete Governmental control and ownership of the entire system? Breaking us in slowly, they are, as in President Obama's own words, ey? Oooh, in 7, 10, 15 years, maybe, when we are ready? How disengenuous can they be, and worse yet, how foolish are we to go along with the deception? I find it utterly amazing and nonsensical for any objective-minded person out there to blindly follow along with the hype.
Which is absolutely why we need guys like Charles Djou in Congress, who know how to stand for what's right!!! Thanks, Mr. Djou, for holding the meeting the public wanted and for forcing the others to come out and play! Aaah, this is what the political process is all about!!!
For those wanting to help get the word out and support Mr. Djou as our next Congressman (although I wish he'd go for Governor, instead!), I guess you can, first of all, check out his website at www.djou.com, and then I dunno, take it from there and see what you can do!
And finally, I'll leave you with a couple of quotes from none other than Socrates himself, the great thinker who, along with Plato and Aristotle, have all helped shape and form the thought processes upon which our entire western civilization is founded. In other words, smart guy, he was!
"Man is by nature a political animal."
"...it is a characteristic of man that he alone has any sense of good and evil; of just and unjust, and the association of living beings who have this sense makes a family and a state."
We can't help it. It's in our genes. God has created us so.
Go out and make a difference for the good!!!
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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