Protesters in Dothan want public health care forum

A group of protesters gather across the street from 2nd Congressional District Congressman Bobby Bright's office on Tuesday afternoon. The group were protesting because Bright has not held any town hall meetings on healthcare reform.

By: Greg Phillips | Dothan Eagle
Published: August 25, 2009

Some Wiregrass residents want a public forum to air their concerns about national healthcare reform.

A group of about a dozen protesters gathered across from Rep. Bobby Bright’s office in Dothan on Tuesday afternoon, holding signs and questioning Bright’s stance on public healthcare.

“The reason we are here is to get Congressman Bright's attention,” said Valerie Wise, a spokesperson for the group. “We have requested in writing and over telephone to have a public town hall meeting with him. He and his staff are not giving us that option. He needs to give us a chance to have one voice and speak with him openly.”

Wise described the group as “mostly conservative,” and she stressed it wasn’t a gathering in opposition to Bright’s tenure as a congressman.

“As of now, he has had a very conservative voting record, so we cannot fault the way he's voted so far, but we do want it to remain that way,” she said. “We feel he needs to hear our voice. He said we are not on a path to socialism, but we believe we are.”

Many towns around the country have played host to town hall meetings about healthcare reform and the government’s role in it.

According to Wise, government control is not the answer.

“We believe healthcare reform needs to be done through tort reform, allowing health insurers to cross the state line so it fosters competition and also allowing small businesses to co-op together to get better rates on their insurance coverage,” Wise said.

While much of the national attention on town hall meetings has focused on shouting matches, Wise’s group remained calm Tuesday.

“We are not an angry mob. We have some true questions we'd like answered,” she said. “Being silent and polite can get more across than being angry. We are just a group of concerned Americans with a patriotic spirit.”