I just received your email invite to meet you in Waterbury, Danbury and or Washington, Ct. It seems that you are very complacent with the voters of New Britain. Due to the fact that, as covered by the New Britain Herald, you held a town hall type meeting in your office, without any public notice that could be found, with only seven people involved.
What is disturbing to me and many other voters in New Britain is that we have called, written emails and faxes to your New Britain Office only to be told that we will be advised of you’re scheduling for the month of August when available.
Since no call or notice was received from your office regarding the so called town hall meeting held at your office, it does appear that you only invited people that would agree with your public stance, “Despite some people against it, the majority of people that I represent want something to happen” and “we will pass a bill through the house and with Obama’s help, we’ll get the Senate to go along.” Maybe you should listen to members of your own party, as Senator Mary Landriue was quoted today as calling the President's health care plan "immoral!"
It is obvious that you do not want to hear from those that oppose your stance so your invite to the area towns, mentioned above, is unacceptable dawdle.
Sincerely,
Frank smith
Let me first begin by saying I am not in favor of this National Health Insurance Reform Bill as is. However, there are many issues facing many Americans with regard to health care and health insurance. We need to find a way for all citizens to have QUALITY affordable health insurance and excellence in health care. How are we going to achieve this when the current system provides that gainfully employed Americans working at financially viable companies are eligible for health insurance for themselves and their
ReplyDeletefamilies. This is great so long as you remain healthy enough, young enough and the economy continues to provide for your employment.
All others must purchase private health insurance or if you are elderly, disabled, un-employed you might already be turning to the goverment for assistance.
How many important life decisions are made in this country based on health insurance ie: people marry to get health insurance, they stay
married for health insurance. People put off desired self-employment for health insurance, delay retirement for health insurance, stay in miserable jobs
for health insurance.
If you suffer from a pre-existing condition good luck getting private health insurance. If you have a family or are over 45 years of age try affording a private health insurance plan. It will cost more than your mortgage payment all to protect yourself from losing anything you might have worked hard to achieve, your savings, your house etc.
The problem right now is not that our politicians are trying to rectify this issue. The problem is they are being reckless with our lives and really don't know
how to administrate a goverment plan. They want to hurry up and push this bill through without understanding the full extent of how this will work and what the ramifications will be. How it will be paid for. They truly couldn't rely on all citizens to mail their payment. There are too many irresponsible people for the goverment to provide for self-pay.
The goverment would have to collect
the money directly from your bank account? How do you like that? Having to provide your checking account information to the goverment? If your not happy with the services your required to pay for who are you going complain to?
How could you shop around to replace the national plan?
Americans will not accept being wronged by our goverment when it comes to our health and well-being. You can have all the money in the world but if you don't have your health, you have nothing.
It would be an excellent time for private insurers to step up and present their proposal for health insurance reform so individuals can supply their own affordable health insurance directly without their employer or the goverment. We need to really work together for the common good and a better system. Not a goverment system for all.
To Frank Smith’s Blog,
ReplyDeleteWell I finally got a call back from Congressman Murphy’s Office regarding the scheduling of Town Hall meetings for next week. One of his staff members asked me if I would be interested in attending either a morning or evening session. Since I have to work, I said the evening session.
OK folks ….. Here it is. Next Wednesday (LOL because it’s dubbed an evening meeting) will be held at 5:30 PM at Shepauq Regional High School in Washington, Ct. Yes that’s right …. In Washington, Ct, a town of 3,000 people. After finding Washington on a map of Connecticut, it borders New Milford and Bethlehem, I mapped quested it. It is 1 hour and 5 minutes from New Britain.
So as you can judge for yourself, Congressman Murphy has really made this Town Hall meeting convenient and accessible to all of us hard working tax paying constituents. If you were going to hold an evening meeting, how about a time of 7:00 PM. Oh, that might encourage more people to attend.
Once again, this only goes to show you how spineless and how out of touch our Socialist Congressman is. To borrow a line from Governor Pawlenty – Trusting Chris Murphy with our Healthcare is like trusting Michael Vick with your dog!! Congressman Murphy is going to vote the way that Nancy Pelosi tells him to. So much for what we, the voters of the 5th district think. Read the poll results below:
Recent polling data from Rasmussen and Gallup indicates that more Americans disapprove than approve of the proposed Democrat-sponsored health care reform legislation that is currently up for consideration in the U.S. Congress.
Rasmussen polls reflect data gathered from likely voters and tend to show higher disapproval numbers than do Gallup polls which take into consideration those Americans that typically don't vote.
Both the Rasmussen and Gallup polls, in spite of their differing methodologies however, indicate that more Americans disapprove of the current U.S. health care reform legislation than approve.
Both polls suggest that sentiments, expressed by a vocal few, at recent Democrat sponsored town hall health care meetings, are closer to the health care reform views of average Americans than are the views of the health care reform bill's sponsors.
I saw these first two comments on Frank Smith's blog at 12 Noon on Friday, 8/28. Better than anything I've seen or heard from the national and local media about some of the games being played by congress people to avoid or prevent town hall meetings. Murphy is simply under Pelosi's thumb.
ReplyDeleteWay to go, Craig.
Just another elitist Democrat who couldn't care less about what the people want.
ReplyDeleteAt least you got an answer. In Berlin we are so lucky to have John Larson who doesn't even bother to answer constituent e-mails or phone calls. He has had an "untouchable" attitude for years.
ReplyDeleteFirst you complain that you didn't receive a response from Congressman Murphy. Then, once you get a response that answers your question, you complain that you don't like the response. Congressman Murphy is clearly making him available to the public (5 times next week). The only thing unacceptable is your unwillingness to participate in a civil discussion. I'm sure we won't see Frank Smith at any of Congressman Murphy's town halls next week because he needs to hide behind his keyboard.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeletePerhaps you are missing the point, and that is that Congressman Murphy REFUSES to meet with constituents in New Britain. Frank has been telling us for weeks that he has been trying to set up a meeting on behalf of a group of senior citizens for Murphy to come to New Britain to meet with them as a group. Are you going to provide buses to bring the seniors to Washington, CT to meet their Congressman because the "high and mighty" Congressman if afraid to show his face in New Britain, except for a phony meeting where he clearly hand picked 7 people to meet with him because they support his socialist agenda.
And you wonder why a revolt is building in this country?
Oh John, your the one "cryin a river". You can't defend the un-defendable. These politicians suck
ReplyDeletepoint blank. They get voted in and
then forget who put them there. Collecting their big fancy paychecks and un-touchable health care plan that they wouldn't dream
of exchanging for the goverment run
plan they will push down our throats.
Frank, don't pick on Frank Smith says NB either. His open forum exposes and educates. God Bless Frank for his dedication and patriotic, democratic viewpoint.
Murphy is apparently avoiding the seniors because he knows they are dead set against his plan to put a government "Health Choices Commissioner" in charge of all aspects of their health care because quite frankly many of them know they will be dead due to the rationing of their health care at the hands of yet another Obama Czar.
ReplyDeleteWe don't need anymore Russian style Czars running our government and we certainly don't need a Russian Czar controlling our health care.
It seems that the point of this post is to say that Murphy isn't available for public scrutiny. He clearly is. I'm sorry that you don't live right next to where he's holding a town hall. Luckily you have the internet to voice your concerns. I'm pretty sure that before we had the internet and telephones and cars the residents of CT were traveling further distances than you would need to by much less convenient means to participate in the democratic process.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteChris Murphy is a young politican and a family man. I highly doubt he's forgotten where he's came from. He's out there holding town halls and meeting with constituents trying to hear their opinions, you're just upset because he hasn't come close enough to where you live yet.
Other Anonymous,
Do you even know what Russian-style czar is?
Finally, the government already runs the health care of seniors on medicare. Why would he be afriad to meet with a group of people already using a public option?
First you complains that you didn't receive a response from Congressman Murphy. Then, once you get a response that answers your question, you complain that you don't like the response. Congressman Murphy is clearly making him available to the public (5 times next week). The only thing unacceptable is your unwillingness to participate in a civil discussion. I'm sure we won't see Frank Smith at any of Congressman Murphy's town halls next week because he needs to hide behind his keyboard.
ReplyDeleteJOHN: IT IS AMAZING THAT YOU HAVE NOT NOTICED THE MANY COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG REGARDING MY ATTEMPTING TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT FOR SENIORS TO MEET WITH THE CONGRESSMAN DURING MID JULY ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT THE CONGRESSMAN’S SCHEDULE FOR AUGUST HAD NOT BEEN ARRANGED. BUT,I WOULD BE NOTIFIED OF THE ARRANGEMENTS ONCE THEY WERE SCHEDULED. MUCH TO MY DISMAY, I READ AN ARTICLE THAT APPEARED IN A LOCAL NEWSPAPER GLORIFYING THE CONGRESSMAN FOR HOLDING "A TOWN HALL MEETING," IN HIS NEW BRITAIN OFFICE, WITH ALL OF SEVEN PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST.
NO PUBLIC NOTICE OF THIS MEETING COULD BE FOUND AND NO PRIOR ADVICE OR NOTICE OF THIS MEETING WAS PERSONALLY CONVEYED TO ME, OF A MEETING BEING SCHEDULED TO BE HELD IN HIS OFFICE--AS PERSONALLY PROMISED BY HIS OFFICE STAFF. DID THEY LIE?
MY QUESTION HAS NEVER CHANGED AND THAT IS: "WHY IS THE CONGRESSMAN HIDING?"
TELL ME WHEN AND WHERE THE MEETING WILL BE HELD FOR NEW BRITAIN SENIORS, EVEN THOUGH I ALREADY HAVE A SUITABLE VENUE PREVIOUSLY ARRANGED, AND I ALONG WITH MANY OTHER SENIOR CITIZENS WILL BE THERE.
I WILL EVEN LEAVE MY KEYBOARD AT HOME SO LONG AS I CAN BRING MY TRUSTY REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK.
He is hiding, as you well right know, because he does not have the courage of his convictions. In America, we are a people who can form our own opinions and speak our minds.
ReplyDeleteWhen you are making a salary of $180,000 plus obscene benfits due to your election, you damn right need to respond to the electorates' concerns or you are history!
Whomever suggested that you have an " town hall meeting" in Washington, CT, a town of 3,000 voters should be fired. Those campaigning against you will use it ad nauseum.
We responders do have the courage of our convictions. Be aware!
Sounds like in November 2010 Murphy will find out that this country is still a right leaning country with only about 20% of the country being liberal. The trouble is that the conservatives don't speak up as much as the liberals because we are busy working at our jobs and running our businesses while liberals are free to form phony town halls (over 1,000 of them scheduled next week stocked with paid agitators) because they live for free like leeches off of those of us who work and pay taxes that fund all the freebies.
ReplyDeleteHe could have held the Town Hall in Waterbury? Lord knows he pays more attention to the needs of Waterbury's residents over New Britain's but still would have been a convenient drive for those of us in New Britain.
ReplyDeleteFrank, do you think you can get somebody local to run a bus of seniors out to Washington, CT?
John (McNamara I presume) said…..Finally, the government already runs the health care of seniors on medicare. Why would he be afriad to meet with a group of people already using a public option?
ReplyDelete------------------------------------
If you are defending congressman’s Murphy’s support of the "public option” with that statement then maybe we might want to ask him why? When:
The costs of Medicare doubled every four years between 1966 and 1980. According to the 2004 "Green Book" of the House Ways and Means Committee, Medicare expenditures from the American government were $256.8 billion in fiscal year 2002. Beneficiary premiums are highly subsidized, and net outlays for the program, accounting for the premiums paid by subscribers, were $230.9 billion. Medicare spending is growing steadily in both absolute terms and as a percentage of the federal budget. Total Medicare spending reached $440 billion for fiscal year 2007, or 16%of all federal spending. Given the current pattern of spending growth, maintaining Medicare's financing over the long-term may well require significant changes. According to the 2008 report by the board of trustees for Medicare and Social Security, Medicare spent more than it brought in from taxes. The Medicare hospital insurance trust fund will become insolvent by 2019. The 10-year cost of Medicare drug benefit is 37% lower than originally projected in 2003, and 17% percent lower than last year's projections. Spending on Medicare and Medicaid is projected to grow dramatically in coming decades. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has indicated that: "Future growth in spending per beneficiary for Medicare and Medicaid—the federal government’s major health care programs—will be the most important determinant of long-term trends in federal spending. The CBO also projects that "total federal Medicare and Medicaid outlays will rise from 4 percent of GDP in 2007 to 12 percent in 2050 and 19 percent in 2082—which, as a share of the economy, is roughly equivalent to the total amount that the federal government spends today. The bulk of that projected increase in health care spending reflects higher costs per beneficiary rather than an increase in the number of beneficiaries associated with an aging population.
Well? Congressman Murphy? Well? Chairman "JOHN" (I presume)?
Can we get some answers or are you just going to tell us all how great it is when YOU run OUR healthcare.
My Dear John Letter:
ReplyDeleteDo you even know what Russian-style czar is?
Yes ....Obama's Cabinet appointees
Finally, the government already runs the health care of seniors on medicare. Why would he be afriad to meet with a group of people already using a public option?
Because our Congressman would have to explain to our seniors the $500 billion dollars worth of cuts that would be necessary to support a government run health care system. That in turn would lead to some type of rationing that would affect our seniors.
Craig Diangelo said...
ReplyDeleteMy Dear John Letter:
Do you even know what Russian-style czar is?
Yes ....Obama's Cabinet appointees
Finally, the government already runs the health care of seniors on medicare. Why would he be afriad to meet with a group of people already using a public option?
Because our Congressman would have to explain to our seniors the $500 billion dollars worth of cuts that would be necessary to support a government run health care system. That in turn would lead to some type of rationing that would affect our seniors.
August 29, 2009 10:24 PM
***************************************************
Way to go, Craig Diangelo!
It has been announced this past week there will be no cost of living increases in Social Security for at least the next 2 years.
Perhaps all senior citizens should apply for Food Stamps to supplement their Social Security income.
Fortunately, many seniors have pensions along with their social security. Unfortunately many don't. What a shame!!