Are the protests at town hall meetings regarding health care
reform beneficial to the debate?
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
“Are the protests at town hall meetings regarding health care reform
beneficial to the debate?” Yes: 2 No: 8
? Karen Anderson: “No. It appears that the incredibly rude protesters are unwilling to listen or read the document and are woefully misinformed.”
? Bert Berson: “No. Let’s be grateful they are not bringing the guillotine.”
? David Cohen: “No. Shouting people down doesn’t contribute to a dialogue, whether it be about health care, education or anything else. When people shout out to shut others down, anger replaces reasoned discussion.”
? Dennis Kennedy: “Protests, per se, are not productive. Discussion and open debate is.”
? Julian Mancias: “No. The violence and anger that these protests are creating are causing more harm than good.”
? Linda McNulty: “Yes, government needs to hear the ‘voice of the people’ whether they like it or not.”
? Henry Miller: “Sure. The ‘disrupters’ demonstrate their ignorance and typical myopia of political zealots. Euthanasia, death panels, who knows what else they’ll dream up next? If ignorance is bliss, we are overrun with bliss. As Sun Tzu, the Chinese warrior, wrote in ‘The Art of War,’ ‘know your enemy.’ In the end, logic will prevail.”
? Lisa Pampuch: “No. It’s never helpful to shout down your opponents and squelch sincere question-and-answer sessions and transfer of factual information. These astroturf protesters are pawns of deep-pocketed corporate foes of health care reform and political foes of Obama, and are fueled by fear, not facts. It’s shameful.”
? John Quick: “No. They are the sour grapes from the failed Republican policies that led to the current economic and health care crisis. They lost. Now they want to make sure no one else succeeds. Too late!”
? Emily Shem-Tov: “They certainly don’t raise the level of debate at the meetings, but they have elevated the issue, got lots of other people discussing it outside of those venues, and drawn attention to the organized opposition and their tactics.”
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