Yesterday, approximately 60 people turned out for a Health Care Rally in front of Sen. Evan Bayh's office in Hammond, Indiana. It was part of a nationwide effort organized by MoveOn.org. They made enough of a stir that a local paper, The Times, picked up the story!
Read on for the juicy bits...
It appears that the public option group had some vocal company tagged by the reporter as 'anti-change protesters'. Our folks were treated to some real gems:
"Why should we pay for health care for those who didn't work for it?" Frank Bauer said. "Illegals and single mothers with men at home who won't get a job."
Though the Cedar Lake retiree said he accepts Social Security and Medicare benefits, it's not the same "because we didn't ask for it -- we were forced to participate," Bauer said.
To make sure things didn't get unruly, U.S. Marshals were present to keep an eye on the situation.
To the right of the reformers, separated by two lanes of Douglas Street and with civility maintained by a contingent of U.S. marshals, stood a dozen anti-change protesters who spoke against what they called "socialized medicine."
In the meantime, Sen. Bayh is still trying to tap dance around the mounting demand from his constituents.
Bayh still is evaluating the proposal, said David Rozmanich, the senator's state director.
"Our current health care system must be improved," Bayh said in a prepared statement. "The status quo is unacceptable, but that doesn't mean we should just do anything -- we must do the right thing.
Seeing as how I'm one of the almost 50 million uninsured, that answer from Sen. Bayh just won't cut it. I plan on making a major pest out of myself and he's going to wish he'd stayed in the Beltway Bubble.
Since our selectively deaf elected ones have decided that they need to have a break, I say we give them a welcome home they'll never forget. To that end, I've created a brief message to grace their fax* machine each day, as well as calling and e-mailing him until he does the right thing.
Senator Bayh,
Your Vote on a
ROBUST PUBLIC OPTION
Will Be the Same as
My Vote for YOU in 2010.
It's Your Choice
My Vote or WellPoint's $$$
So, what's cookin' in your neck of the woods and what suggestions do you have to increase our volume as our Critters head home?
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