Here & There Column 8-11-09

Klatsch Takes On Health Care Reform

Put on an extra pot of coffee and double the amount of those homemade donuts was the consensus of our local Coffee Klatsch as a heated discussion started out with the comment that the health care reform plans now on the table would produce nothing more than a Canadian-style, single payer plan and the nationalization of health care.
Several members of our politically split Klatsch, four Democrats, three Republicans and one Independent acknowledged that the public polls show over 50 percent of Americans do not approve of this reform and those opposing the reform are in the majority.
Discussion also took place about the concern many have on how some politicians and most of the liberal media outlets are seeking to silence those who are speaking out against the health care reform legislation, out of control spending and the take over of vital industries.
One of our Klatsch regulars read off a few highlights from the first 500 pages of the Health Care bill in Congress and they included, page 29, "admission: your health care will be rationed," page 50, "all non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free health care services, " page 59, "the Federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer," page 239, "bill will reduce physician services for Medicaid, Seniors and the poor most affected and on page 430, "government will decide what level of treatment you may have at end-of-life."
Klatsch members didn't even debate any of the above noted statements and unanimously opposed the proposed takeover of health care by our government saying "this health care bill is down right unconstitutional. "
Following two pots of home brewed java and oven-baked donuts our Coffee Klatsch strongly suggested that members of Congress should start listening to their constituents and that there should be an immediate stop in calling constituents who voice opposition "a mob."
Our retired-members Klatsch all voiced concern about what they referred to as "the government socialized national health care deal," and said "it doesn't take much to see through the misinformation and distortions put out by supporters of this legislation."
"Grassroots Americans have sent members of Congress back to their districts for the August recess without a national health care deal in place and citizen opposition has played a leading role here," the Klatsch noted.