My Town Hall Experience

After waiting 90 minutes with my hand raised to speak, I was finally selected. The entire town hall meeting about healthcare had been unfolding just like all of the reports I'd been seeing and hearing in the media. Loud and disruptive naysayers overpowering any voice that proposed modifying our broken health system.

My heart and mind were racing. So many things that I'd like to say. So many falsehoods and misconceptions to counter. So many facts to share. As I waited behind two others for my turn I scratched some notes on piece of paper I dug from my pocket. Finally, the mic was to be handed to me, and...... "I'm sorry folks that's all we have time for, we have to leave the auditorium at 8pm sharp!" I couldn't believe my ears.

I had so much to say! So little had been accomplished! What a sham!

The whole ride home my father and I, who had attended with me, were simultaneously angered and disheartened by the experience. We discussed a myriad of ways in which the forum could have been better organized. We took turns saying things that we would have liked to have had the opportunity to say.

To paraphrase my own thoughts, (and possibly brush up the language) I would have liked to have said something like this:

"Thank you for taking my question. My name is Todd Vachon from Colchester and I'd like to start by saying that I have spent several years working as a teacher in that 'oh so socialist' institution known as public education. And if this were my classroom, the disruptive members would be on their last warning. But since the principal is not here, perhaps we could call on the uniformed folks standing in the back, who work for that other socialist institution-- the police department, to escort them to their cars. From there, they could drive home on those 'socialist' public roads, abiding by the 'socialist' traffic signals before crossing any 'socialist' bridges.

I think we should also thank the Stalinist 1st selectman and communist regime of Montville for allowing us to use this 'socialist' high school auditorium, free of charge; a beautiful and brand new one at that.

It is unfortunate however, that over 100 folks had to be turned away at the door. The maximum capacity has been reached and the 'socialists' from the fire department deemed it a matter of public safety.


But seriously, all sarcasm aside, what I'm getting at with these examples is that NOT ALL THINGS are handled best by the so-called 'free-market'. Imagine if we all had to subscribe to fire, police and medical service. Many folks would not be able to afford the premiums. What happens when your neighbor's house is on fire and they didn't pay their fire bill? Or better yet, the fire companies deny coverage to your home because it is too old or has a pre-existing condition. I know, it's ludicrous to consider, but what is so different about health services?

If you get in an accident today, the fire and police department respond as a public service. EMT's respond and start treating you on the scene, but as soon as you arrive at the ER the treatment now becomes a commodity that you must pay for.

Every other industrialized country spends considerably less per capita on healthcare; half to be exact. They provide it universally to all of their citizens; we leave 50 million without, and they have better service than we do; we rank 38th in the world.

So, my question is this: Can the naysayers suck it up, get past the ideological free-market dogma, and consider practical solutions to a real problem? Or are they too damned stubborn to ever admit that they are wrong? Thank you."

Well those are my two cents. A day late and a dollar short, but still here anyway.

You know, in retrospect, I think that merely organizing the two opposing factions on opposite ends of the parking lot and allowing them to yell back and forth at each other would have been equally as productive.