Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Gardena) hosted at a town hall meeting at St. John Church in El Camino Village on Crenshaw Blvd.
Before the meeting, I debated with three liberal activists from Torrance, all armed with "No War in Syria" placards. I agreed with their anti-interventionist stance, although the rest of their politics I would not care for. Following the redistricting efforts of 2011, residents in east Torrance ended up in the new 43rd, where Maxine Waters cruised to reelection against an unprepared Democrat, Bob Flores. They liked the change for the liberal. I got stuck with Henry Waxman in the 33rd (Click
here to learn more).
Another gentleman, Brian, joined our discussion, content to contend that Obamacare was the first step toward a single-payer system. I calmly objected, since socialized medicine had failed in Great Britain and in Canada. I shared the reports which I had read and seen from patients, doctors, and other health care professionals who had lived in those countries before the single-payer system emerged. Rationing, long lines, closed clinics, frequent misconduct, underground private facilities. He wouldn't hear any of it. "You're focusing on all the negatives!"
Obamacare is forcing doctors out of medicine, raising premiums, diminishing access, and raising taxes on Americans. Postives?
Brian then countered: "You cannot compare Canada and Britain to the United States. We should try it out here first." Then I recounted the failures in Massachusetts and Tennessee. Another man spoke up about the Medicare exchanges. I counted with reports from doctors who were leaving private practice, and the growing exodus of health insurers out of the exchanges, including Kaiser. "Where's the competition?" I asked. I then presented a novel idea: just because a law mandates something does not mean that the service will be there. Health insurers are leaving the industry. Law can demand, but it cannot supply.
One of the liberal anti-war protestors agreed with me -- there has to be profit in the medical profession. The other woman welcomed the dialogue. Brian stopped listening.
At 2:00pm, Waters took the church lector/podium. She blamed the conservatives in Congress for holding the budget hostage, for delaying the implementation of Obamacare, and for the savage cuts which were hurting every other victimized interest group created by liberal interests.
Next, Experts from the health care industry, lobbyists for small business, and a nurse from Cedar Sinai Medical Center muddled their way through the Affordable Care Act. The two hour gobbledy-gookfest would have frightened George Orwell for its insistence on telling people that everything will be fine. Such denial of the obvious was sickening. The nurse from Cedar Sinai declared that she was "joyful, ecstatic!" about Obamacare, which she personalized as "MaxineCare" or "YouCare". She misrepresented the length of the bill, claiming that there was gold in the nine hundred pages. Waters' brochures and frequent newspapers affirmed that the legislation was 2,500 pages. There were discussion of closing "the donut hole" in Medicare", followed by a slide with another "donut hole".
Aside from myself and one young black girl, the audience was made up of elderly people, but the "Young Invincibles" representative reminded everyone that young people have to buy insurance. They have to!
The presenters recounted statistic upon statistic, baptizing us into the Obamacare koolaid. I was disturbed, remained unbelieving.
Then came the mike. A long line of people showed up. The first speaker, from Encino, commented that the death panels were not in Obamacare, but in the stimulus. How about that? Someone from outside the district speaking up to Waters. I felt bolder. The next speaker, a classified employee from LA Unified, lamented his new, part-time status because of Obamacare, then questioned why illegal aliens would get health care but not have to buy insurance, while American citizens were forced into purchasing health insurance. A deranged Iraqi, the liberal anti-war protestors, and then John Wood of Inglewood took to the mike. Wood is the Republican candidate running against Maxine Waters in 2014. "We've been watching you!" Waters playfully admitted, then dismissed him after his lengthy question.
Then it was my long-awaited turn.
First, I complimented Congresswoman Waters for seeking to end the War on Drugs. I also agreed that insurance companies should not push people off their plans.
Then I catalogued the rise in premiums reported in the LA Times and in news affiliates across the country. I mentioned insurance companies leaving the Medicare exchanges. "That's not a shopping mall. That's a monopoly!" I talked about a retired teacher in Torrance who had four doctors because each one retired over Obamacare.
Then came the piece de résistance:
"You gotta be tough for this game, and I'm not afraid of anybody. And I think that Obamacare should go straight to hell!"
I mimicked Waters' offensive rhetoric from a 2011 town hall meeting, then stormed off, refusing to listen to Waters dialogue from the same false premise that "Obamacare is good."
I left the church with loud boos following.
I don't know if I accomplished much that evening, but I had a good time giving liberals and Congressman Waters a piece of my mind.
