My almost protest

- 8/21/09

Okay, so I didn't drag out my protest sign today, the one that reads, "H.R. 3200 is BAD FOR AMERICA," and stand on the corner of Market and Main Streets with a couple of other Protesters, one of whom takes up that same corner five days a week. Wow! I was very impressed with that kind of dedication to the cause of letting Congresswoman Betty Sutton know where you stand on the Leftist-designed health care reform bill. My hat's off to you all.

I made the trip down to the the 13th District's Akron office to stand with the others today because I couldn't do it on Saturday - the National Day of Protesting - but when I arrived I had a thought about going into the Sutton office and ask someone if I might have that appointment I asked for last month. If they turned me away I still had a sign in the trunk and a corner to stand on.

I introduced myself to the young man just inside the tiny office and explained what I wanted, to talk to someone about my concerns about the health care reform bill, and when he said "Just a minute," he went into another small office. (The office whole complex isn't any larger than my kitchen and living room combined but there were at least six ? people at work.) He came back with Michael Duncan, Mrs. Sutton's District Director.

Michael politely took the time to hear me out about about my concerns over this bill, but more importantly I thought he was listening. After I laid a little personal groundwork for my arguments, using some family history, a couple of relevent stories, I clumsily explained why I felt that this bill would take away the liberties that I have recently discovered I should have, the ones the Founders intended.

Michael shared with me a few important thoughts and here are two of them:

1) From the recent lack of phone calls and visits from people in opposition to H.R. 3200, he gets the feeling that it's not that important to most people. Where are they if they're so concerned?

He has a valid point. Inside I'm thinking about the hopefully massive March on DC on 9/12, but I suggest instead the possibility that people are immobilized by the fear of so big a change. I could be right, but probably not.

Another of Michael's contributions:

2) that some of the people who have come to the office, sat in the same chair I was in, and told him of their inability to buy health insurance. How did I feel about those people, what should be done about them?

My answers, my arguments, aren't important here, only that I hoped the congresswoman would think long and hard about the failings in the bill, that too little time was being spent putting it together and discussing it, and that years from now she might well regret supporting it in its present form.

Michael and I agreed that with all the heat on this reform measure Mrs. Sutton's, as well as other's, careers could end by either supporting or walking away from it. As I spoke the words it occurred to me that losing a job was a small sacrifice to make with something so important as the health of the nation at stake.

Either way, Congress and the president all need to step back and take more time, a lot more time, figuring out how to help the poorest among us without hurting everyone else.