Yelling In America: They Went to A Healthcare Townhall and a WWE Match Broke Out

Here in St. Louis University City School District canceled Sen. Claire McCaskill’s healthcare forum after a congressman’s forum on aging ended in fights and arrests. Here in this video clip from Harold Ford Jr.’s old district in Tennessee they had the bomb squad out and someone was escorted off the premises with a gun. Can you say U-G-L-Y? You ain’t got no albi. It’s getting ugly. Yeah, ugly.

Of course, it’s all poops and grins until someone gets hurt (or arrested).

More after the jump.

From Oliver Willis:

The district is Harold Ford Jr.’s old district. It has a 23% Democratic advantage. It is the only majority black district in Tennessee (59%), yet the meeting was stuffed with non-black conservatives.

It’s like the whole thing is a phony joke, or something.

Willis called it an “Astroturf” Townhall.

I get that some people don’t like the idea of spooky “socialized” medicine. What I don’t get is how these oldsters can say that when most of them are on Medicare. It’s like my Great Uncle Bubba who said he’s against healthcare reform while he was on his way to catch a bus to the Veteran’s hospital where he receives free medical treatment from the government. There seems to be a huge disconnect here. Or the talk that a buerocrat will dictate your care. You already have buerocrats with your HMOs and PPOs doing that, sitting in a room deciding what they will cover and what they won’t. It’s hasn’t been up to your doctor for years now. It’s some bean counter. The whole healthcare debate just makes my head hurt (which is why I don’t write much about it), due to the high number of nonsensical arguments.

If you’re going to have a debate, have a civilized one based in Reality Land where healthcare is a hot mess. Have arguments that acknowledge that the government already does run healthcare programs (from Medicare to the veteran’s system) and argue the merits and demerits of those in comparisson to how the healthcare industry is run now. You know? Start making sense. Stop bringing guns to a Townhall and such. Be a part of the Democratic process, not just a hooligan in hinderance to it.

daniellebelton

12 responses to “Yelling In America: They Went to A Healthcare Townhall and a WWE Match Broke Out”

  1. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    Thank you I’ve been saying that this whole time. People want to argue against the government ‘taking over healthcare’ when in fact half of these nut jobs have parents who are already on gov’t care and it’s called Medicare. They are basically just extending it out for everyone. If these people don’t want this then, all of them need to say ‘goodbye to their Medicare and VA Benefits. Then they will have room to talk. Until then please do not pass judgment and assume one thing, especially if their healthcare isn’t being run that way now. The same thing happened when they tried to get Medicare/Medicaid started. People are scared (for no reason), I would not ask anyone to give up their health insurance just so I can have some, but we are all entitled to have insurance. We shouldn’t have someone in an office on the other side of the country saying "you can’t have insurance because your already pregnant (which happened to me)" or "you have diabetes for your at risk-denied".As Americans (the supposed greatest country in the world) we should be able to provide basic coverage to all citizens. We are a country so quick to help others (Chinese Earthquake victims, Darfur, Tsunami victims) but we all argue and act like ingrates when it comes to our own people. What part of that sounds right to you?(pardon any typos in a big hurry just had to make my point real quick).

    Reply
  2. d Avatar
    d

    I think it would have been a sad irony (or maybe just a coincidence) if someone ended up going to hospital for injuries from this Town Hall fight.

    Reply
  3. Scott Avatar
    Scott

    Nicole:Sorry, there is no entitlement to health insurance and it is not the gov’ts job to provide it. I fail to see why I should pay more taxes to provide others with health care.

    Reply
  4. David Wise Avatar
    David Wise

    Our government is doing a fantastic job helping millions of people in great need of medical care. In a few months, I’ll be covered under Medicare. However, the lifeboat is full, if I can use this analogy. We can’t afford to cover millions more when we can barely pay for the services now being provided. This is the reality check we must take. We’re headed for financial disaster should we take on more debt.

    Reply
  5. Brandi Avatar
    Brandi

    We’re already paying for these uninsured people who show up to the ER with a bad cold. Why not provide some sort of coverage that provides preventative treatment? Why do you think hospitals charge $10 for an asprin? It’s to help cover the cost of the number of write-offs they have to make for those who can’t pay.

    Reply
  6. tarheelio Avatar
    tarheelio

    Nice Wildcats quote.I have posted before that health care is not a fundamental right. However, we cannot ignore that reforming health care is the only way to reign in the explosion of health care costs. Liberals want to help the poor, Conservatives want to save money – both can get there on the same path. If we could all get to a consensus on that point, it would help this effort greatly.So we need health care reform.But that does not mean that we need the current proposal. It does cost too much, while still leaving about half of the people that are currently uninsured, still uninsured. The Congressional Budget Office (Democrat controlled) says the price tag is at least $1.6 trilly, and maybe $2.4. The CBO also says it sees no hard proof that costs would be reduced. Wow, it took a Harvard number cruncher to figure out that spending $1.6 trillion doesn’t save money?But, we need to do something. I favor the plan involving each state having a pool to pay costs from (yes, that is a single payer system). This would also include a pool of money to pay malpractice claims from, administered by real medical professionals. Then we wouldn’t have these $100 mil jury awards, granted by 12 people that have no expertise in medicine. This would hit a lot of trial lawyers in the pocket book. But it would reduce medical costs greatly by eliminating malpractice insurance, and end the practice of doctors ordering superfluous testing just to cover their asses in case of litigation. Let John Edwards try to scrape by without making $400 million. Ding the attorneys a little to save the rest of us billions, and I am an attorney.We are getting nowhere good with the current stances. The Republicans are plugging their ears and saying, "La, la, la, I can’t hear you." The White House is saying, "This is my plan, I am going to eventually get the votes and stuff it down your throats."Maybe our leaders could have gotten some good feedback from these town hall meetings that could have proven fruitful back in DC. But the Palin types seemed to have screamed over every other voice.Sorry, that was my longest post ever.

    Reply
  7. Mac Avatar
    Mac

    Oh Danielle, what on earth are you thinking, approaching the matter with logic, calm, and sense?(In all seriousness, I could cry.)

    Reply
  8. Josey Avatar
    Josey

    Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…. are SUPPOSED to be fundamental rights of all Americans. Not being able to go to the doctor or hospital interferes with those fundamental rights.

    Reply
  9. tarheelio Avatar
    tarheelio

    JoseyWhen you say, "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…. are SUPPOSED to be fundamental rights of all Americans. Not being able to go to the doctor or hospital interferes with those fundamental rights." You are applying a lot of your own personal interpretation there in to the meaning of Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I don’t think you can make any claim that when the founding fathers wrote and ratified the Constitution, they considered free health care to be part of Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.Plenty of people have used this premise when debating this issue and it is a huge stretch.But I still think we need health care reform.

    Reply
  10. David W Avatar
    David W

    d:I see your irony and raise it. A man was injured in StL in a fight many say HE started. He claims he was in the hospital. His lawyer is taking donations from Anyone Who Loves America ™.Why donations? Because this wonderful fighter for the conservative cause against health care reform…lost his job. And has no health insurance.

    Reply
  11. Court Avatar
    Court

    Completely cosign @ Snob.It’s all or nothing for me, either you believe the Government should have a stake in the health of its populace or you don’t. You can’t straddle the road… or climb in the lifeboat and then leave others to drown.

    Reply
  12. AnAmericanCitizen Avatar
    AnAmericanCitizen

    Whether it's a right or entitlement is up for debate, but the fact that access to healthcare is a NEED for human beings is not up for debate. I believe that we all, as citizens of the U.S., healthcare should be readily available to all of us. Whenever the country is deciding whether or not to become involved in a war, somehow we always have the money for that, it comes from somewhere. America is not known for taking care of its citizens as are many other successful countries. For those talking about a sinking boat or whatever, that's already happening. People are dying because they don't have access to healthcare, and that's alright with you? It boils down to doing what's right and what's wrong, good or bad. On those terms the answer on what America should do concerning healthcare is very simple.

    Reply

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