Dorgan meeting draws concerned residents

Ben Rodgers

Aug. 22, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Nearly every seat was taken in the room Friday night when Sen. Bryon Dorgan, D-N.D., came to Jamestown to discuss health care reform.

Dorgan spoke at the Gladstone Inn and Suites before a crowd of more than 100 people of varying ages.

"There's a lot of information and a lot of misinformation about health care," Dorgan said.

He started the meeting by listing options that he would not support, which included: any plan that rations medical care; anything that undermines or eliminates Medicare, Medicaid or Veterans Administration care; any plan that will give health care to illegal aliens; or any public plan that supports abortion. Dorgan said there is no bill in Congress that supports public money for abortions.

Some people's stories were received with applause, while others received boos and curse words from the back of the room.

Ross Ueckert, from Beach, N.D., is walking to the nation's capital carrying a flag. He stopped in Jamestown to speak up at the meeting. Ueckert said the children and grandchildren of the people present will be forced to pay for the rising national debt and that America is on its way to socialism with a proposed public health care option.

"I respect what you are doing, you're a great American, you care about this country and when you get to Washington, D.C., you have a free lunch coming and we are going to sit down and have a long talk," Dorgan said.

An unidentified woman who said she had a chronic disease and no health insurance asked Dorgan not to support the plan because her husband runs a small business and a public option for health care would drive up his costs.

"The government is forcing us to pay for somebody else who wasn't responsible," she said.

There were views from all different sides of the debate.

A man who identified himself as Dan Rugroden told the senator a story about getting a metal sliver in his hand when he was welding. He said he received care within one hour with American health care.

Rugroden said his son had a similar injury while welding in Norway, which has a nationalized health care system, and it took him four months to receive care.

"We have the best health care system in the world, period," he said.

Tempers did get heated at times and Dorgan asked the crowd at one time not to boo if they disagreed with something.

"We have to boo!" a man who identified himself as Dan Aire shouted back.

When Aire got his chance to speak, he said he is not insured and doesn't want health insurance. He said the government should not be involved with his money or how to use it.

"What morons in Congress, they need to get rid of the whole damn bunch," Aire told the senator.

When asked what would happen should Aire fall terminally ill or suffer an accident, he replied "I'm not afraid of dying."

Later during the meeting, a man coughed an expletive while Sister Pamela Pranke, Spiritwood Lake, N.D., was saying she knows of Americans who go to other countries to get health care.

Dorgan gave the last question to Jamestown Mayor Clarice Liechty.

Liechty, who said in an interview later she wasn't speaking as mayor at the time, used the question to tell the senator illegal immigrants in the U.S. are a benefit to the country and that the U.S. needs a system to provide health care for them.

"There is not going to be a health care bill passed by Congress that covers illegal aliens," Dorgan said.

Sun reporter Ben Rodgers can be reached at 701-952-8455

or by e-mail at

brodgers@jamestownsun.com

Newstex ID: KRTB-0467-37415247