PORT TOWNSEND — About 50 health care reform supporters and detractors lined the walkway to Fort Worden State Park Commons on Monday, greeting Democratic U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, who addressed the controversial plan to expand coverage and cut costs.
Fearing that Jefferson County Republican Party representatives would be try to disrupt Dicks’ presentation, local representatives of MoveOn.org, the grass-roots political action organization that helped elect President Barack Obama, quickly moved in to counter protests against health care reform proposals before Congress.
‘Voices drowned out’
“We don’t want to have our voices drowned out by those people who think government health care would be a bad thing,” said Linda Brewster, who helped organize the MoveOn.org turnout of supporters who warmly greeted Dicks, presenting him a bouquet of flowers.
Brewster, a retired health care worker, said the cost of health care and insurance profits “have increased exponentially,” requiring reform.
An e-mail circulated Sunday stated that the local MoveOn Council was organizing.
“We’re taking action at events like these because this is a make-or-break moment — right-wing extremists are crashing political events around the country and trying to dominate the public debate over President Obama’s agenda,” the e-mail states.
“We can’t let that happen in Port Townsend. Local MoveOn members are making sure Rep. Norm Dicks knows that we’re counting on him to support health care reform with a real public health insurance option that will help expand coverage and bring down costs for all of us.”
Petitions prepared
Brewster said a petition supporting health care reform had gathered 676 signatures in three days, and she expects that about 1,200 signatures will be gathered before next week when they send copies to each of the North Olympic Peninsula’s congressional delegation — Dicks, D-Belfair, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Freeland, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Mountlake Terrace.
Ron Gregory, Jefferson County Republican Party chairman, gave Dicks with a petition bearing 231 signatures gathered at the GOP’s Jefferson County Fair booth over the weekend.
“If there is a common thread among these people, it was a distrust of government-run health care and anger that your party leadership was going to ramrod legislation that they did not want,” Gregory told Dicks before handing him the petition.
Viewpoints of those waiting for Dicks outside were varied, with most voicing support for reform.
Jim Switz, seeing that he was outnumbered by pro-health care plan supporters, said: “Liberty’s always outnumbered in Port Townsend.”
He said reform would mean “sending government out to take money to pay other people’s bills.”
‘Out of control’
Cathy Alling, also of Port Townsend, said, “We can’t afford it. Government spending is out of control.”
Robert Kapp, holding a sign that stated “No More Pay or Die Health Care,” said “the current effort is to nickel and dime away President Obama’s health care proposal” and diminish the voters’ will voiced in the 2008 election.
Michael Felber, a Port Townsend resident carrying a sign that stated, “Health Care, Not Warfare,” said it was time to “take care of the health of our people like every other industrialized nation.”
Civil discussions
As Dicks spoke at the Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce meeting inside, others stood outside and debated the pros and cons of the proposed health care plan.
The discussion was civil, calm but clear about the differences in opinions.
Bill and Mary Butcher drove from Sequim to protest the health care plan.
“We do need social safety nets, but not like this,” Mary Butcher said.
“Those safety nets should first be family, and if that isn’t there, then maybe there should be support, but not for every single person, not for the people who are willing to work hard and can afford it.
“I want to be able to choose what happens at the end of my life. I’m not speaking for or against anything like euthanasia, but that’s a personal decision and not one to be left up to the government.”
Deborah Pedersen of Port Townsend demonstrated in favor of universal health care.
She said while she disagreed with Butcher, there were some common threads between them.
“People who are in the medical field should be the ones making the decisions on what is covered,” she said.
“I don’t think the government should be making those decisions about my life either, but this is about coverage and paying for it.
“Right now, decisions are being made that affect patients’ life and death but are being made by private corporations. How is that better?”
Bill Butcher said he felt the private system works better.
“It scares me to see government taking control like this,” he said.
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Reporter Erik Hidle contributed to this report.
Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
