Standing room only in Cornelius as hundreds debate health care reform
Thursday, September 3, 2009
By: Ann Sheridan

CORNELIUS, N.C. -- Hundreds of people debated health care reform in Cornelius Wednesday night.

"This is it," said U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick as she held the health care package over the podium at J.V. Washam Elementary School in Cornelius. "That's what it is and I've read the bill," she told the crowd of about 900 people.

Myrick asked the crowd to respect one another, and they did. But emotions ran high on both sides of the debate.

"In my 12 years, I've never seen so many hard working families in need of health insurance," said one man who told the crowd he was a family physician. "This reform is needed."

Most in the crowd came to ask questions and let Myrick know they did not support the reform package.

"I've never seen a more incompetent set of politicians take office," said one opponent.

"We're going to pay the price and it will come out of our pockets," he said.

Myrick told the crowd she did not support the package because she said it will cost trillions of dollars.

"The way the bill is structured it does nothing to slow the growth of the cost of health care, which is a major concern for all of us," she said.

Wednesday night's meeting was Myrick's second. She will have another town hall meeting in Gastonia Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Gaston Day School auditorium.

Rep. Larry Kissell will host a town hall at in Concord on Friday at Ebenezer Baptist Church on Salisbury Street. It starts at 6 p.m.

http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/stories/wcnc-082709-al-health_care_debate.11eefaaa8.html#