Yesterday we talked about the activism that happened at Shaheen’s Hampstead NH Town meeting. Today we cover Wednesday’s Atkinson meeting.

( I know, this post and yesterday’s are not about humor but here at RL we feel strongly that health care reform is important enough to take a quick break from the norm. What does it say about our Congress and our media when a humor blog takes time out from it’s purpose in order to get the voices of the people heard about something they do not want?) ~We also like astroturfing. Fiar~

The scene was not as busy as Hampstead but anger and frustration over the health care issue was just as strong.

People in attendance were under the same impression I was-that it was a town hall meeting with staffers from House Rep. Paul Hodes’ Nashua office. Instead we were informed it was a constituent service sit-down.

Hodes’ people were obviously prepared for people looking to discuss ObamaCare because everyone was given the following copy of their press release:

Office of Congressman Paul Hodes to Hold Office Hours at Atkinson Town Hall

July 31, 2009

Concord, NH— Representatives from the Nashua office of Congressman Paul Hodes will be available to assist residents of the Atkinson area who have an issue with the federal government including:

Medicare

Social Security

Veterans Affairs

Immigration and Visas

Active-duty Military Issues

Passports

Internal Revenue Service

When: Wednesday, August 5, 12-2 p.m.

Where: Atkinson Town Hall, 21 Academy Avenue

That memo by the way can only be found on Hodes’ website. There was no release to the actual press.

Health care was supposedly off the table and when they were pressed, we were referred to the above memo. I thought “including” meant that other issues can be discussed but when people are the supposed angry, shrill, paid-to-be-there opponents of very unpopular legislation they get shut down apparently.

Swastikas and brown shirts probably danced in the staffers’ heads as they informed me that the error about the meeting’s purpose was quote “my mistake”. I was then sent off to bed without supper. Or at least this is how I felt. Bad Chris! Bad!

Other take-aways from my sit-down:

-Hodes does not have a health care town hall meeting scheduled because he did not know when he would be on recess. It must have been an unplanned vacation.

-The sit-down was supposedly helpful for people like the elderly who do not have internet access despite the fact the internet was the only place to find out about it in the first place. Huh?

-Staffers can not tell the politician they work for that one of their constituents will recommend to everyone he or she knows not to vote for them if said politician helps HR 3200 get passed.

I spoke with everyone in attendance and we had a lively discussion about health care, the role of government, the intent of our founding fathers, and politics in general.

Business owner Mark Acciard told the story of his hospital treatment in the UK after an accident. He spent three days under a nationalized health care system that did not properly clean dirt and gravel from his wounds. Mark was later transferred to a military hospital where he underwent four hours of surgery to correct the mistakes made.

It is funny that Obama and Congress want to repeat that kind of history. So where do we go if those same mistakes are made here in the US under government-run health care, Canada?

Andrew Hemingway, who plans to run for Congress in 2010 as an independent had this to say:

“Our elected officials have seem to forgotten that they work for us. We should tell them when to see us, and not the other way around.”

You had me at hello Andrew.

One woman was disgusted because she woke her two year old from a nap only to be told she could not discuss health care. She said she was not usually politically active but felt it was important enough to be there.

One theme running throughout the afternoon and in each person’s sit down was a very salient point: why can’t we talk about health care?

These people took time out of their lives to voice their opinion and it was not heard. The staffers obviously were not there to talk health care but when there is an issue this important agendas need to be swept off the table.

If they keep playing games, keep refusing to hear our legitimate concerns the Reps will also face voter rejection fifteen months from now.

That was the most important take away from the day. Too bad Hodes might not understand that message until he is fired from his cushy government job in 2010.

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Chris Cameron is a writer for Radioactive Liberty. In addition to his weekly Quick Hits column and posts here you can also read his odd humor at Angry Seafood as well as his take on things on his serious political blog Clearly Political.

Category: Political Humor Tags: Atkinson, Health Care, Humour, New Hampshire, Obamacare, Paul Hodes, Political Humor, Town Hall