In my previous post about town halls and the folks disrupting Democratic Congressmen, I intimated that there are no such town halls near me to go to.  I was mistaken, as there was one in my town just last evening.

Unfortunately, it was hosted by Republican Tim Johnson, and held in Normal Public Library.  I had a hard time figuring out why it wasn't held at a venue in Bloomington, since his district covers more of that town than the small sliver of Normal it encompasses.  But I must say, it was nice to see a town hall meeting where there weren't a bused in group of miscreants attempting to disrupt the proceedings.

The crowd itself, however, was largely Republican to begin with and had no need to shout each other down.  There was a gentleman, a veteran of Iraq (civilian contractor, actually, not quite the same thing), who held aloft a sign that proclaimed "Obamacare is far from Normal."  The shirt he was wearing proclaimed that his unit had taken care of "The Last of the Fallujahians."

This gentleman, whom I engaged in discussion, was uninformed as to what the bill actually entails, and was quite typical of the people in the crowd who were against the healthcare bill.  The majority of the crowd seemed to buy into the lies put forth by such groups as Right Principles and FreedomWorks:  That the bill will strip seniors of their right to Medicare/Medicaid, that the bill will cause rationing of healthcare and put the health insurance companies out of business, all of which are out-and-out lies or simple speculation.

And Tim Johnson did nothing to allay these fears.  He stood at the podium and gave us the same Republican talking points and lies that all the pundits are putting forth:  We don't have a voice in Congress because the Democrats won't let us talk (as if the Republicans in power ever let the minority Democrats get a word in edgwise).  We have an alternative, but I can't give you all the details right now.  He refused to answer whether he believed access to health care was a right or a privilege (though there were definitely some in the audience who believed the latter).  In other words, he was just talking up the base because, let's face it, he wants to be re-elected.

The crowd itself did not seem to think the health care system is broken.  When a young woman stood up to ask a question she began with, "I think everyone in this room can agree that there are things seriously wrong with the health care system as it exists, and it needs to be fixed."  This was greeted by a resounding chorus of "NO!"s and boos.  Several people gave testimony to the fact that they cannot get health insurance or that they have been denied coverage by their existing insurer, and pleaded with Mr. Johnson to support some form of government healthcare, to which he flatly dismissed any government intervention.

In all, there was nothing new to be learned at this town hall meeting.

The polarized divide between Republican and Democrat showed all too clearly last night.  And it comes on two levels.  The legislators are too often either in the pocket of lobbyists or just simply worried about re-election, particularly the Republicans.  Democrats who actually want to do something to bring about change get obstructed by those in the former position, be they Republican or Democrat.  Meanwhile, the constituents are either pleased as punch with their health insurance (until they have to actually file a claim) or just deadset against someone from the other party getting their way.

Whatever the case, the health insurance system is broken, and it desperately needs to be fixed.  Even if this healthcare bill doesn't do everything that needs to be done, if it gets a public option that the millions of uninsured Americans out there can buy into for a fraction of what corporate insurance costs, it will be a major victory.  The healthcare lobbyists are frothing at the mouth and these town hall disruptors are a symptom of the death throes.  The Democrats must be doing something right, to have the health lobbyists shaking in their boots so.  Any step they take will be a step in the right direction.

 On a side note, I met up with my good friend, Dr. David Gill at the meeting last night.  Last election he ran for the House in Tim Johnson's district and nearly won.  It's good to see that he will be running again, and I will proudly support and volunteer for him.

Peace, and good luck.