Health Care heats up Carney town hall
Published: November 25, 2009
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Shirley Masters speaks to Congressman Chris Carney after a town hall meeting held Monday in the Susquehanna County Courthouse, Montrose. STAFF PHOTO/STACI WILSON
Fred Ehmann voices his opposition to the House’s health care reform at Congressman Chris Carney’s town hall meeting on Monday in Montrose. STAFF PHOTO/STACI WILSON
U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, D-Dimock, fielded questions mostly pertaining to health care reform and natural gas drilling at a town hall meeting attended by more than 100 persons in the Susquehanna County Courthouse Monday morning in Montrose.
In opening remarks, Carney said he voted for recent health care legislation supported by the Obama administration and admitted to hearing from constituents with “strong points of view” from both sides of the debate.
Carney said a number of things made the bill more attractive for him to support, including the inclusion of hundreds of millions of dollars to cover underserved areas like the 10th District, funding to build medical colleges to address the shortage of primary care doctors and the inclusion of an amendment prohibiting abortion coverage by participants in the plan.
“In my 49 years I’ve watched our government really fail at most everything it has done,” said Joel Maxey, of Jessup. “Our constitution was not socialism. Our government controls everything I do from the womb to the grave.”
Maxey’s statements, and those of other speakers were met by applause.
Fred Ehmann, New Milford, also addressed health care reform in his remarks.
Ehmann said the House bill would ration the health care of senior citizens by deception.
“You, through your vote on this, devalue my life,” said Ehmann. “Your bill extracts savings from (seniors) and moves them elsewhere.”
“This bill is an abomination,” concluded Ehmann, whose comments received several boos but also generated much applause and stranding ovation from about a dozen attendees.
“Remember we are not at the end of this process,” said Carney on the health care reform issue. “Maybe we won’t get there,” he said, adding “but maybe we will.”
“Do you still feel gas well drilling is going safely?” asked Victoria Switzer of Dimock.
“I think it’s better than it was,” answered the congressman who said natural gas offers an economic opportunity for Susquehanna County.
“This is an opportunity for the county to realize some gain,” said Carney who also spoke of the role of natural gas in helping the nation become less energy dependent on foreign oil.
He acknowledged the lawsuit being taken against Cabot and was concerned that some persons’ water supply appears to have been contaminated.
But, he stopped short of laying the blame on Cabot.
“We need to let the science play out,” he said.
Regarding the gas industry, Carney said, “We are watching it very closely. The bottom line is we have to do this in a smart way.”
Norma Fiorentino, a Dimock resident whose water well exploded in January, said “It’s not going to stop with Dimock unless it is regulated.”
Firoentino said, “We signed and believed everything they told us.” She is now being provided water by Cabot Oil and Gas Company.
“We weren’t warned about any of this,” Pat Farnelli, also of Dimock, said.
Carney’s Clarks Summit district rep Paul Magnoski said the office is working through the state agencies on the matter.
