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Massa: Health care bill is 'unconstitutional'READING—The proposed health care bill is “unconstitutional,” according to Congressman Eric Massa (D-Corning).Massa spoke about health care, sending troops to Afghanistan, and getting broadband service in rural areas, at a town hall meeting, Saturday, Dec. 5, in Reading Center. The event was attended by only eight people, which Massa said has been the lower end of group sizes at his town hall meetings. He added the meetings can get as large as 1,400 people who want to meet and ask him questions. Massa started the two hour meeting by talking about how and why he has voted the way he has on a number of issues before opening up the floor to questions. Massa explained the President told both the Senate and the House each to create a health care bill. He said what each of them is working on is going to be different just from that. Massa added the President is normally the individual to write this sort of thing for the House and Senate to vote on. The congressman said his issue with the current health care bill is nothing in it controls cost. He added that as it is, the health care bill will not be approved. “It will be thrown out because it’s unconstitutional,” he said. Massa explained it is because it requires people to buy insurance from a corporation. Massa said he is working to get broadband service expanded to rural areas not only for people who want it, but because of the business it could produce. He explained that if broadband was expanded into the area more, Corning would get the business of making the fiber optics. The congressman compared it to rural electrification. He said the electric company was required to supply electricity from Rochester into Ontario County because at the time, it was needed in every day life. Massa said broadband has become a necessary for businesses, and people. “You cannot run a hospital without broadband,” he said. Questions from the audience prompted Massa to talk about war and sending more troops overseas. He said if it were possible, he wanted to avoid sending more people over to fight. Massa explained he himself has experience fighting for his country. “I’m not willing to see American people die for what Afghan people are not willing to fight and die for,” said Massa. Massa said he estimated that by early next spring, Congress would be asked for between $50 billion and $100 billion to fund the war. He added that would only cover one year. When asked about the option of nuclear bombing to get rid of the remaining Al Quida terrorists, Massa said it was not option. He explained because that would kill innocents as well. Masses said it would be the same when the Germans blitzed England or when the U.S. bombed Germany; it would only harden their resolve to keep fighting. For the questions he could not answer, he had the people present supply their name and contact information so he could look more into it. He ended the town hall meeting by saying: “You won’t always agree with me, but you’ll know where I stand.” |
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Massa: Health care bill is 'unconstitutional'
Dec 08, 2009 at 02:45 pm by Observer-Review
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