Republican Rep Mike Jacob's email telling his largely republican constituents about the meeting at Hank Johnson's. Interesting since his district is split and many of his constituents in the Brookhaven area are in Tom Price's 6th district. He didn't send an announcement out about it. Also I wonder if Mike Jacobs will repudiate the awful conduct of some of the organized disruptors such as Tea Party members - especially their use of the NAZI / Hitler comparison. Mike should have said something in his announcement. Here is the announcement he sent including a gratuitous swipe. From: Mike Jacobs Sent: Fri, Aug 7, 2009 3:15 pm Subject: Health Care Town Hall In This Issue Federal Health Care Town Hall Meeting Congressional Town Hall Meeting on Federal Health Care Legislation Congressman Hank Johnson, who represents most Brookhaven neighborhoods, will be holding a town hall meeting on health care reform legislation on Monday, August 10, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Cole Auditorium on the Clarkston Campus of Georgia Perimeter College. If you have the time, I hope you will make the short trip around I-285 to express your views on this important issue. One of my constituents brought up a good point about why this meeting is important: "If you write Congressman Johnso n a letter or an e-mail, it's highly unlikely he'll see it. This is an opportunity where you can be sure he will hear directly from you." There is at least an hour allocated for public comment. Invited speakers include the CEO of Grady Hospital, Michael Young, and the DeKalb County Health Director, Dr. Sandra Ford. DIRECTIONS: Georgia Perimeter College's Cole Auditorium and Fine Arts Center is at the corner of North Indian Creek Drive and Memorial College Avenue in Clarkston. Driving south on I-285, take the East Ponce de Leon exit toward Clarkston, exit 40 -- turn left. At North Indian Creek, turn right and take it to Memorial College Ave; take a left. The Cole Fine Arts Center is on your right. Driving north on I-285, take a right at the Memorial Drive exit, exit 41. Turn left on Rockbridge Road, right on North Indian Creek Drive and a right on Memorial College Ave. The Cole Fine Arts Center is on your right.

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I hope Rep. Johnson's folks are bringing a lot of pampers to the meeting, because there are going to be a bunch of fucking psycho right-wing crybabies showing up.

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"Got questions about Obamacare? There’s no better way to get them answered than by a real live congressman." Thanks for the laugh, I needed one. No, really, that's the funniest thing I have heard in a few days. OBAMA doesn't understand Obamacare, much less a Congressman.

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"I hope Rep. Johnson’s folks are bringing a lot of pampers to the meeting, because there are going to be a bunch of fucking psycho right-wing crybabies showing up." One can hardly blame the right for emulating the successful tactics practiced by the shrieking crybabies on the left. I'm thinking if you weren't opposed to it in 2005 you're not very convincing when you label it bloody murder now. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-03-16-gop-townhalls_x.htm USA Today, March 2005: Shaken by raucous protests at open "town hall"-style meetings last month ... Santorum was among dozens of members of Congress who ran gantlets of demonstrators and shouted over hecklers at Social Security events last month. Many who showed up to protest were alerted by e-mails and bused in by anti-Bush organizations such as MoveOn.org and USAction, a liberal advocacy group. They came with prepared questions and instructions on how to confront lawmakers.

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My husband and I showed up at the town hall meeting at Perimeter College prior to 6 PM . The lines were already beyond long, and grew even longer once we secured our polite place in the line. After an 1.5 hour wait, we were turned away as the gym was completely filled. The lines had snaked around and were poorly drawn, and the folks at the end of the line managed to move ahead and secure a better position than the courteous folks who arrived earlier. The public would have been better served if there had been less police protection and more town hall coordinators to manage the people flow/paths. Perhaps any future town hall meeting coordinators should anticipate a large turnout and plan accordingly. That would ease the disappointment to those that cannot be accommodated.

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There were HUGE crowds at the health town hall last night as previous poster notes. Any coverage of that fact? Any coverage of what went on inside and what the balance of opinion was? Was there a straw poll? I'm guessing from the chat outside the meeting facilities that last week's rightwing nutjobs are facing a backlash from ordinary folks who are not in love with their crappy insurance companies and want reform to pass. But i'd like to see some reports.

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AJC grudgingly reports a preponderance in favor of health reform at Hank Johnson's meeting last night. Headline says 'hundreds' attended but body admits '2,000' and that's perhaps only those who managed to get inside, with many more, like me and my son, turned away.

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why does not anyone wish to mention these 2 points: 1) You have no right to health care. You have a right to live, not a right to force me to pay for your doctor's visit. I do not have the right to kidnap you and detain you against your will until you pay for my new eyeglasses. You do not have the right to force me to labor under duress to pay for your doctor's visit. 2) The US Constitution has only 17 enumerated powers of the Congress, all of which are delegated to the federal government in order to fulfill the preamble. Please take a look at Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution and tell me where forcing other people to pay for your healthcare is one of the responsibilities of our Congress.

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The spirit of goodwill is alive and strong in this one. (directed at "me".) It is so hard to take the detractors seriously because they are just so hateful. There are people out there that actually care about their fellow man and not just about the bottom line. My girlfriend has just gotten her masters degree and is about to start law school. She has cobra liability and that is it. It is not just people who do not want to work who are denied affordable health care.

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How is it hateful to say that another person does not have the right to force me to take care of them? I think it is more hateful to look at me and say that, because I have worked my ass off and become successful, that I am to be compelled, at the point of a gun barrel, to pay for someone else's health care. Your girlfriend can probably by a catastrophic health care policy for, I'm guessing, how much you and I spend on beer and bass strings each month. That assumes she is reasonably young and not a BASE jumper. Think of catastrophic health care the same way you do car insurance. It pays for the bad stuff, but not oil changes, gas and tires.

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@cityzen " love with their crappy insurance companies and want reform to pass" You do know that the big insurance companies and big pharma have been birthing this "reform" monstrosity with Obama and the Dem leadership since the beginning, right? There has been only a token resistance from the insurance companies. They realize that Obamacare will push their smaller competitors out of business. Wait, don't you "progressives" hate insurance and drug companies?? Wow, you guys must be so confused. Kind of like protesting everything Bush did and calling it "the highest form of patriotism" and then telling Obama's opponents they are un-American for doing the same thing. At least the right doesn't have to put ads on Craigslist for a "rent-a-mob" or call the AFL-CIO and SEIU to get a crowd.

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Dale, That is actually what she has done. She pays i think about 100 bucks a month for virtually nothing. I dont know what the solution to all of this is but i know it is not nothing. The problem with US health care is the attitude involved. It is always "what is the least amount we can do?" I have watched my boss hobble around for almost a year now waiting for surgery. Our provider Kaiser Permanente (the closest thing to a free clinic out there) will not give him the surgery to correct his back until he jumps through countless hoops. Everyone complains about having apossible wait to see a doctor with "socialized medicine" but what the hell do you think we do now? The only way things are ever going to change is if the prevailing attitude becomes less you live, you work, you die and more you live, you live, you live. And in typical liberal fashion, i dont get as concerned when my tax dollars help people other than myself.

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Dale, You're right. Single payer is a big piece of the answer, eliminating all the insurance bullshit that creams off about 20% of our health dollars before any care is provided.

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This whole..."well you dems bullied before so why are you complaining about us repubs." It didn't amount to the frequent use of Nazi references or the extreme non-stop loudness of older white males. It was protests outside or yes those people who walked in an held up a banner but they were quickly escorted out they didn't sabatoge a discussion. Also we are talking about protesting soldiers losing their lives. Just like I understand the emotional aspect of abortion protestors. But this is an issue of shades of Grey that need discussion and analysis. In other words it boils down to an arcane regulatory matter not a black and white sound bite that government is seeking to take over the health care system - come on. Yes the government is seeking changes to the way it regulates the healthcare system - and yes some want to provide a public provider avenue. And yes we do provide health care to all via Grady Hospital or other ER rooms. This turns out to not be an efficient way to administer healthcare. And its unfair. DeKalb and Fulton end up paying for indigent care for all of metro Atlanta. Its also pro business if we could take some of the costs off of automakers and manufacturers that their competitors in other countries do not have to pay. And the problem with the catastrophic plans is often one is stuck paying the unrealistic "retail price" for care that is no where near what insurance companies are charged. Of course we also have the issue of pre-existing conditions. Trying to get everyone under a health plan or making one available to everyone is good for the economy and the country. The best way to do that? I'm not sure, its comples. That's why we need a lot of discussion and less "Obama is a Nazi" or "Government Death Panels are Evil" Ummm that Pearl of non reality coming from a one of the republican figureheads.

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Johnny, I agree with you on all except your assertion that we provide healthcare to all at Grady ER. We provide emergency care there, but I don't think you mean we provide what, say, Medicare patients would think of as care. Un- / under-insured folks who develop serious acute or chronic disease are often not diagnosed until it's late; they do not have the same outcomes as fully-covered folks; and they have a truly miserable time fighting the system to try to get standard of care therapy.

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cityzen you are correct, I said that very poorly, my apologies. I was driving at the fact that we still end up paying for some kind of health coverage for those who do not have adequate insurance, and yes probably not all. But those that ultimately get to Grady ER while not getting as good service end up costing more because either A)treating their ailment through the emergency room or bureaucracy is not efficient or B) the condition has gotten to a point where it ends up costing far more to treat it than had they gotten some care earlier in the development of the condition. In other words, its not a situation as someone described here where we can are not paying now for those without adequate insurance. So providing a public option isn't creating 100% new costs, in the case of DeKalb and Fulton we may save money.

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@Adam regarding the waits under single-payer - "but what the hell do you think we do now?" We can swap anecdotes, if you like. A good friend learned two weeks ago that his mother had breast cancer. He just returned from visiting her after her surgery. Sounds pretty good to me. I received elective sinus and throat surgery after eight. I could have had it sooner, but it did not fit my work schedule. Your employer has a shitty plan because it is cheaper than better plans. If they are that concerned with cost cutting, do you think they will blink before dumping you the the public option? How long will insurers stay in business if they lose accounts to the government? That is exactly what Obama is counting on as a stepping stone to single payer. There are always problems in a system, but they are worse when administered by our government. I will agree to Obamacare under two conditions; - someone shows me a verifiable and long-term instance of the Federal government improving efficiency and effectiveness over the efforts of the private sector - Obama, Congress, unions and every other citizen have to use the same plan as you an I. No exceptions.

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@ Johnny "This whole…”well you dems bullied before so why are you complaining about us repubs.” It didn’t amount to the frequent use of Nazi references or the extreme non-stop loudness of older white males. It was protests outside or yes those people who walked in an held up a banner but they were quickly escorted out they didn’t sabatoge a discussion." It's called a double standard the Dems use to justify their actions. Do I really have to point you to the links of Bush with a Hitler 'stache? The anti-war marches by protestors with Nazi symbols on posters? Bush hung in effigy? They aren't sabotaging the discussion, they are participating in it. You have GOT to be kidding.

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