Local Residents Traveling To D.C. To Protest Health Care
Local Residents Traveling To D.C. To Protest Health Care
Posted
Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
Local Residents Traveling To D.C. To Protest Health CareSixteen local residents will travel to Washington, D.C., to join with millions this weekend to show their opposition to the health care bill.
The House is expected to pass the health care bill as early as Sunday with reconciliation so all of the representatives don't have to vote for the Senate version, which contains abortion language that pro-life democrats will vote against.
The Senate health care bill was approved earlier this year.
The local group also will meet with 3rd District U.S. Congressman Mark Souder Saturday, who has agreed to give the local residents a tour of the capitol.
The group will travel today in three vans, arrive in Washington tonight and return Sunday morning. They have made signs for the rally, encouraging lawmakers to not pass the health care bill.
Some of the Kosciusko County residents who are going to Washington include Monica and Brian Boyer and their four children, Tony, 13, Alex, 10, Kyle, 7 and Sarah, 5; and Monica's mother, Anne Bonewitz, Warsaw; Teresa and Darren Gay, Silver Lake; Tressa and Bryan Nichols, Warsaw; and Sharon Wilson, Warsaw.
It will be Teresa's third time going to Washington. She previously went Sept. 12, 2009, to oppose the health care bill, and in November 2009 to talk with state representatives in Washington about the health care bill.
Brian said he is concerned about the future of the country and what the health care bill would mean.
"They are trying to pass the bill on a Sunday, a holy day that our founding fathers would never agree with," Brian said.
Monica said she was watching Glenn Beck Thursday morning and heard that there are millions expected to protest and decided to get a group together to go to the capital.
Boyer is co-founder of Kosciusko Silent No More, a group whose grassroots organization's purpose is to stand for freedom and the Constitution.
"It's important for us to go because it is our last effort to save the country from socialized medicine. I have been physically ill the last couple of nights watching the news and frustrated and angry," Boyer said.
Wilson, Warsaw, also will travel to Washington with the group.
"I am going because I am fearful for what this bill has in it, 2,000-some pages we don't even know what they are trying to pass and it has an abortion section in it and I am pro-life," Wilson said.
It will be Wilson's second time traveling to Washington. She first went when she was a senior at Warsaw Community High School in 1976, and went for her senior trip and toured the capital.
She said she is going because small businesses are being hurt.
Wilson is co-owner of New Plumbing and Heating and she is worried the health care bill will affect the business's payroll.
"Right now we pay 80 percent or more of our employees' health insurance and up until this past year we were able to pay 100 percent," Wilson said. "This health bill will make us pay for the health insurance of all the employees, which would increase our costs so much."
She said she understands health insurance needs to be reformed, but republicans have a much better way that doesn't impose detriments to the country.
"Besides protecting our business I am going to Washington because I will have to look my grandkids in the eye and kids, and I will be able to tell them I have done everything I could to fight this bill and make an impact," Wilson said.
