No, Republican Townshirts Don't Want To Debate The Issues

In fact, debating the issues is the very last thing they want to do. As they've announced, they want to disrupt the meetings and prevent the truth about health care reform from coming to the fore. Watch the video of Jim Moran's Town Hall meeting in Reston, Virginia, where a small, noisy, deranged minority prevented Moran's constituents from hearing what he and Howard Dean had to say about health care reform, reform that 79% of Americans favor. Watch the police escorting Republican Party sociopath and terrorist Randall Terry out of the meeting:



Now, if you want to see more, watch a Republican congressman, GOP fringe loon Wally Herger, coddling a self-proclaimed "right-wing terrorrist" at his own mini-bund meeting. Stay 'til the very end so you can hear Herger's 8 word response to the freak who seems to have forgotten how the American Indians got the Pilgrims through their first winter in the New World.

And all those drooling imbeciles at Herger's little bund-rally? Very whiteof course, but is it so prosperous a district that doesn't need health care reform? The median income is $33,559, considerably less than the whole state's ($47,493). And, ironically, the health care reform legislation that Herger is working with Big Insurance to sabotage would actually do more for his own constituents than it would for most of the country. Here's a report that explains how CA-02 residents would benefit if Herger would stop trying to kill reform:

America’s Affordable Health Choices Act would provide significant benefits in the 2nd Congressional District of California: up to 14,000 small businesses could receive tax credits to provide coverage to their employees; 9,900 seniors would avoid the donut hole in Medicare Part D; 1,300 families could escape bankruptcy each year due to unaffordable health care costs; health care providers would receive payment for $107 million in uncompensated care each year; and 128,000 uninsured individuals would gain access to high-quality, affordable health insurance. Congressman Wally Herger represents the district.

• Help for small businesses. Under the legislation, small businesses with 25 employees or less and average wages of less than $40,000 qualify for tax credits of up to 50% of the costs of providing health insurance. There are up to 14,000 small businesses in the district that could qualify for these credits.

• Help for seniors with drug costs in the Part D donut hole. Each year, 9,900 seniors in the district hit the donut hole and are forced to pay their full drug costs, despite having Part D drug coverage. The legislation would provide them with immediate relief, cutting brand name drug costs in the donut hole by 50%, and ultimately eliminate the donut hole.

• Health care and financial security. There were 1,300 health care-related bankruptcies in the district in 2008, caused primarily by the health care costs not covered by insurance. The bill provides health insurance for almost every American and caps annual out-of-pocket costs at $10,000 per year, ensuring that no citizen will have to face financial ruin because of high health care costs.

• Relieving the burden of uncompensated care for hospitals and health care providers. In 2008, health care providers in the district provided $107 million worth of uncompensated care, care that was provided to individuals who lacked insurance coverage and were unable to pay their bills. Under the legislation, these costs of uncompensated care would be virtually eliminated.

• Coverage of the uninsured. There are 149,000 uninsured individuals in the district, 21% of the district. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that nationwide, 97% of all Americans will have insurance coverage when the bill takes effect. If this benchmark is reached in the district, 128,000 people who currently do not have health insurance will receive coverage.

• No deficit spending. The cost of health care reform under the legislation is fully paid for: half through making the Medicare and Medicaid program more efficient and half through a surtax on the income of the wealthiest individuals. This surtax would affect only 1,820 households in the district. The surtax would not affect 99.4% of taxpayers in the district.