Aug

Iowa Senator Tom Harkin holds Town Hall in Des Moines, Iowa

Article updated August 8, 2009, to add videos of the meeting.

Iowa Senator Tom Harkin held a town hall meeting in Des Moines, Iowa today with a packed crowd. Some people were supporters of the health care reform and others were strongly opposed to what they consider to be a government takeover of 1/6 of the United States economy.

Iowa Senator Tom Harkin

The meeting began at 2:00 pm today, August 8, 2009, and was planned to last for one hour. After reading the transcripts, I have come to the conclusion that Tom Harkin continues to be in complete denial of the contents of health care reform plan. On the other hand, I do have to compliment Senator Harkin for standing in front of his constituents and doing a good job of controlling the potentially hostile situation.

Transcripts from Radio Iowa Blog provide in depth details of the town hall meeting. The meeting began with Senator Harkin making the following statement:

“As we have seen in recent days, opponents are pulling out all the stops to kill the reform effort. This is a shame because as you know all too well the status quo is broken,” Harkin said near the beginning of his opening remarks. “…The press just asked me about all the consternation and I said, ‘Well this is good. The country should know about this. It should be fully debated and aired.’ But I said there is a lot of misinformation out there…You’re going to see a lot of effort by powerful interests to twart the change that we are trying to make in health care and that’s understandable. There’s a lot of money at stake here.

Time and time again, the Senator referred to the anger opposing the reform bill as being driven by special interest money. Why don’t we take a look at the special interests who are backing this ridiculous plan? With all the special amendments in the health care reform bill, it is safe to say there are plenty of special interest monies driving for the passing of this plan, just like there are some opposing it. I know that there is money being spent to build opposition. However, I have met many of the people in attendance at his meeting and I can assure you that the majority were sincere in their concerns of the government’s tendencies to fail at everything they do. It does not take much effort at all to just look around at all the failed government programs. Medicare is broke, medicaid is broke, and social security is not far from it. Just look at the latest issues with the inefficiencies of the United States Postal Service causing it to be broke.

Why do people have the belief that all these programs are operated on the Government’s money when it is actually our money? It’s the money of We the People of the United States of America! Get it? It’s your money, people.

The Senator also commented on his serving in the military and having fought for our freedoms. My plea to you, Senator Tom Harkin, is for you to once again make that fight for our freedoms by resisting the drive for a nationalized health care reform bill. Most are in agreement that the system needs to be fixed and many have offered logical solutions that do NOT include a government takeover.

Updated with videos of the town hall event as seen below:

Part #1

Watch as a Harkin supporter gets in a gentleman’s face telling him to “Go Home”. Someone in his age bracket might want to take a few moments to actually read the Bill’s contents.

Part #2

This section of the town hall was quiet for most part with the Senator speaking in support of the plan.

Part #3

Tom Harkin responds to a comment that capitalism is the best way to regulate insurance companies along with many other questions and answers