Pennsylvania’s 2010 gerrymander split Erie County, PA, between two congressional districts: PA-03, represented by Mike Kelly, and PA-05, represented by Glenn Thompson. This split allows both congressmen to completely ignore the needs of their constituents in Erie County because the Republican voters in other parts of their districts overwhelm the fraction of Democratic votes coming from Erie County. With Erie County split like this, there is no hope that our voices will be heard in Congress.
Keystone Progress collaborated with SEIU and Voices for Independence, a concern that provides home healthcare to those who need it, to host a town hall tonight (Tuesday, February 21) at the Hirt Auditorium of the Blasco Library in bayside Erie. Congressmen Kelly and Thompson were invited, but of course they didn’t come, this being the national trend among Republican Congressional Representatives and Senators.
The 288 seat auditorium was filled to standing-room-only. Many people had their opportunity to voice their concerns for the future under the promised (threatened) plans of the Republican-led Congress.
More below the fold.
Video of the event can be viewed on Facebook Live in two parts: here and here. (Note: these are fairly long videos.)
The principal concern of most of the people present had to do with the threatened repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and access to healthcare. Several home healthcare workers, SEIU members and employees of Voices for Independence, who are paid a very low wage. These are healthcare workers who do not get healthcare plans from their employer, and who are not paid enough to be able to afford health insurance independently. Before the ACA, when they were sick, they
either did their best to ignore it or went to the emergency room. Under the ACA, they’re doing better, though they are still struggling. Naturally, they’re all frightened by the prospect that the ACA will be repealed and they will again have no protection against a health disaster.
Others who have survived health crises that were both life-threatening and very expensive told their stories and admitted that if the ACA were repealed, they would likely die, putting blood on the hands of the politicians who repealed it.
Others brought up Education. The Erie School District is in an unprecedented fiscal crisis right now, and the Department of Education is being run by someone (Betsy DeVos) bent on destroying public education. The fraud of DeVos’ support for corporate charter schools, cyber charter school in particular, was also highlighted.
A successful small business owner (who drew attention to the fact that he’s an immigrant) said he had supported Thompson in previous elections, but when Thompson would not reveal how he had voted on the proposal to do away with the Office of Congressional Ethics (I’ll let you guess how he voted), the businessman decided to withdraw support permanently. The businessman also pointed out that the tax cuts and ending of regulation only help big businesses; none of these so-called “business friendly” proposals would do him any good.
There will be a rally tomorrow in support of immigrants’ rights in front of the Federal Building in downtown Erie, from 12:15 to 12:45 PM, sponsored by the Benedictines for Peace. Hubby has somehow found himself on the speakers list, so I’ll be there to support him.
Keep up the pressure!
(All photos except for the first one were taken by RevKatie.)