Posted on 08/09/2009 6:06:55 PM PDT by new cruelty
On Saturday August 8, 2009 my wife, children, and I attended a town hall meeting held by US Congressman John Adler, DEMOCRAT, Representative for New Jersey 3rd District. We arrived shortly after the meeting began, signed in, and found seats in the back of the assembly room, which was roughly the size of a gym. Few seats remained empty and people lined the perimeter walls. Essentially it was standing room only.
Adler was speaking when we walked in and was touting what he saw as problems with the current health system. I heard him offer slight praise for health systems in other countries, at which point a chorus of booing erupted. Adler quickly noted that the United States still has the best health care system in the world and the booing turned to applause.
Several times throughout the meeting Adler made it clear that he was OPPOSED to the health care bill and would vote AGAINST it.
He stated that he was against offering health care to illegal immigrants.
He stated that he thinks the health care bill would bankrupt the United States.
He stated that he was opposed to TARP but was not around to vote against it and that he voted against additional funding earlier this year. He also stated that he thinks business should be allowed to fail.
At the end of his comments, which took about 20 minutes, the audience was asked to line up to ask him questions. Many people lined up to ask questions and Adler took time to give direct and complete answers. Only 1 hour was allotted for the meeting, and as a result, several people did not get to ask a question. One person expressed his displeasure by shouting at Adler and begging him to stay longer. When finally given an opportunity to speak at the microphone, this person noted that he would “gladly give a little more money if it meant health care would be provided to all Americans”, to which someone shouted, “No one is stopping you from giving more!”
Also in line was an elderly woman who said that she whatever is done, should be done in a slow, thoughtful and fiscally sound manner. Then she held up a book of COMMON SENSE and said that everyone in the room should read that book. Many people applauded.
There were just a few outbursts. A single police officer was present. The only time he moved around was to ask the person that was shouting for more time to settle down. One man appeared very distressed and repeatedly snapped out loud for all of those booing to shut up. A few of those who were booing within earshot turned and told him to shut up. Other than that it was an orderly meeting.
Someone in line proclaimed that he had read the entire bill and cited word for word from a section in the bill that would exclude people with special needs. Adler appeared stunned at what was read, stated he was not aware of that section, and then restated that he would vote AGAINST the bill.
Adler had another town hall meeting to attend in Riverside, NJ, but he stayed later than the appointed time and talked face to face to many people as he slowly made his way to the exit.
Pallone needs to feel the heat.
It “ain’t” over folks - we have to stay on on them.
I had not heard about that part of the bill either.
NOW I know why Sarah Palin called obama's health care bill "EVIL"
As someone with an Autistic son, this issue concerns me gravely. However, I went to the bill and confirmed what you posted but I still don’t understand the implications!
And I’ve been through the ringer when it comes to legalize regarding Special Needs kids.
Splendid. This will give Obama, Emmanuel, Axelrod, DU, Daily KOS & the MSM ample time to demonize, arm twist, intimidate and threaten his political future.
Good point, however, if I am a representative, I will read a bill in it’s entirety even if I plan to vote against it, so i can see how the other side plays. we need to be informed about what their beliefs are and see who the earmarks are going for in these monster bills to see whose buttering the bread. Some of these things are done under the radar, that’s why these reps are so shocked right now, because so many real citizens have researched the bill and know more about it than they do.
And autism is very prevalent in our time, at least 1 in every 150 to 200 children, @ least that is what they say in the ads. This effects a large group of citizenry.
Just tonight I was telling my husband that protestors at the meetings need to read/cite verbatim sections of the bill, and be sure to reference the precise pages and lines of the quote. If that isn’t done, people may not tend to believe what is said.
Also, RNC needs to take out ads on TV and in print with the nasty parts, showing the reference pages/lines.
That is a sound policy. I'm guessing that these congressmen have quite a few bills to vote on- so it may be physically impossible for one person to read line by line each and every bill. Still, it would help to be familiar with the more salient points of each bill.
Thanks.
A bit too close to Camden for my taste. ;-) 500 miles is too close.
So he is in a serious swing district and he wants to keep his job. Maybe the people in NJ are starting to wake up.
I bet Pelosi will get maybe 10 or so an out but 20 or more will not be enough. I doubt they have the votes but we have to resist full force.
Any farms down there? South Jersey supposedly has the best tomatoes in the world.
OK. Perhaps I’m a bit dense tonight.
My interpretation of sec 1176 is that Special Needs individuals will not be able to sign up for medical assistance until the annual enrollment period. Not a big deal. I’ve seen others dealing with issue already. The government will make exceptions when necessary. Hoops, paperwork and begging, yes but that goes on with school districts and insurance companies too.
Section 1177 sounds more incidious than it would be in practice. Again, I’m basing that on my experience with a couple of school districts as well as the experience of many other special needs parents.
Essentially, you will need a psychologist to justify why a child/adult qualifies as Special Needs. Can they be turned down? Yes, and there will be a process for reapplication.
To tell the truth, I’m not as worried about some government contracted shrink telling me my child doesn’t qualify, I’m more concerned with these contractors being untrained and allowing children/adults to get a stake in benefits that should be limited to truly handicapped people. I can see a future where someone with Dyslexia gets the same benefit as someone that is profoundly Autistic. This will bankrupt the treasury lickity-split.
We can’t afford a future where some lawyer can argue for benefits for just about anything. The lawyer gets paid for lobbying whatever government contracted functionary and the functionary gets to expand her empire because she’s handing out free money to all comers.
LOL. When we moved here in 2002, my wife drove us through Camden. She had just started working at Cooper Hospital. I told my wife that had I been with her when she was interviewing there would have been no way we would have chosen to move to NJ! We then drove through Collingswood, Haddonfield, and Moorestown, which are much nicer areas.
Any farms down there? South Jersey supposedly has the best tomatoes in the world.
There are a few farms down here- Stallwag's Farm, Springdale Farm and Johnson's Corner Farm are near my home, but I haven't tried any South Jersey tomatoes worth noting.
I belong to the organization that started that statistic. The growing incidence of Autism is indeed real and troubling, but at the rate of 1 in every 150, everyone with an Engineering degree would qualify. Hmmmmm.
There are certainly degrees of Autism and I have problems with people declaring their socially awkward but otherwise fully functional child "Autistic". My son is profoundly Autistic and it astounds me what people I meet think my son is capable of because of story they saw on the news.
So why the big scary statistics? Quite frankly, a lot of parents with Autistic kids were fed up with the amount of federal research dollars going to AIDS, a disease that can be prevented by changing behavior, compared to the amount of research directed to children who were aflicted with Autism through no fault of their own.
It's working but I hate that it's these type of tactics that have to make it happen.
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So are you bringing your torch Frantzie? :-)
I'll bring the pitchfork!
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I received and email from Adlers office Friday and it did not sound like he opposed govt run healthcare. In his response he never stated he would not vote for HR3200. I live in his district and he is the first dem/lib to win since 1882. He beat a week republican candidate by a slim margin. We need to vote him out in 2010.
Not at all. Thank you for your interpretation!
We can’t afford a future where some lawyer can argue for benefits for just about anything. The lawyer gets paid for lobbying whatever government contracted functionary and the functionary gets to expand her empire because she’s handing out free money to all comers.
I agree.
Good to know. What did the email say?
http://adler.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=144&Itemid=81
Health Care
Reforming our health care system is an economic issue for New Jersey’s middle class families and small businesses.
John believes our country needs to focus on preventative care and managing and treating chronic illnesses. He supports providing tax credits to working families and small businesses to purchase health insurance in the private market. John does not support a single-payer health care system.
John feels the health care system is disjointed, and we need to find a way to eliminate inefficiencies in the system. The federal government must partner with hospitals, physicians and clinics to implement new technologies that will not only save lives, but save taxpayers money.
John understands that our health care system needs more than a band-aid, it needs significant changes. He believes that health care reform legislation must include lowering health care costs for employers and families, should close the gap in coverage for uninsured or underinsured households, and improve the quality of care for everyone.
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