By Matt Flumerfelt
VALDOSTA — U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston held a series of four town hall meetings on healthcare reform at the Valdosta State University Center Monday afternoon.
The meeting had originally been scheduled to take place in the University Center Theater, but was moved to another room to better accommodate the larger than expected crowd. It quickly became apparent, however, that this room was also inadequate. The room was packed to overflowing with a long line of people still waiting to get in.
Kingston’s staff made the needed adjustment, shifting to a larger banquet room across the hall with much more seating. Even after that move, the seats were filled, and people were standing around the walls. Kingston received an ovation upon entering the room, and a standing ovation following his introduction at the podium.
“Of all the politicians I’ve known, and I’ve known a bunch of them over the last 30 years, Jack Kingston is one of the most honest, if not the most honest,” said Chuck Roberts, assistant administrator at Smith Northview Hospital, when introducing Kingston.
Kingston’s assistants passed out petitions for those in attendance to sign voicing their dissent with President Obama’s healthcare reform initiative currently being debated in Congress. Forms voicing approval with the government-managed plan were available courtesy of the group Organizing for America.
The heading on the petition opposing a national healthcare plan states: “We, the undersigned, oppose a government takeover of our healthcare and urge Congressman Jack Kingston to vote against any bill that creates socialized medicine.” In the survey on Kingston’s Web site, the word “socialized” is replaced with “nationalized.”
The democratic petition states, “I support President Obama's three principles for real healthcare reform, and I call on Congress to enact a plan upholding them in 2009.” The principles themselves are to:
*Reduce Costs — Rising health care costs are crushing the budgets of governments, businesses, individuals and families and they must be brought under control.
*Guarantee Choice — Every American must have the freedom to choose their plan and doctor – including the choice of a public insurance option.
*Ensure Quality Care for All — All Americans must have quality and affordable healthcare.
Discussing the high amount paid by doctors and hospitals for malpractice insurance, Kingston said lawyers are not the problem. Lawyers work for clients. Part of the problem with the U.S. healthcare system, Kingston said, is that, “We have real high expectations.” When reality doesn’t live up to our expectations, “we want to sue somebody,” he said.
Audience members didn’t wait for Kingston to finish his presentation to begin interjecting comments and questions.
“I don’t want the government dictating what I can and cannot do,” said one audience member.
“The insurance companies are already dictating to me,” another interjected.
Several audience members brought up overspending during the Bush administration.
“That’s a good point,” Kingston said. “The thing we have got to learn to do in Washington is start acting like we’re spending our own money, right now with our national debt. And I’ll say this, as a Republican, we blew it, we spent lots of money.”
When questions about Bush administration policies persisted, Kingston said, “I’m not here to defend the Republican party. I’m here to say as a Republican we spent money, and if you want to say as a Democrat you did not, I don’t think you’re coming to the table with sincerity.”
In response to one audience member question about what has happened to the collective mind of Congress, Kingston said,
“I served in the state legislature for eight years and I can tell you, at the end of the day you always came together for what was right for the state. You always felt like there were some adults in the back room, and in Washington you find out that’s not necessarily the case. It’s really hardball politics and sometimes it’s very hard to come together on things.”
