Photo by H. Beckett of activists gathering in front of the government building, before being ordered away
A group of about 25 concerned constituents gathered in front of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's Dallas office on July 9 only to be rudely turned away. The group was one of over 150 organized by move-on.org to rally for health care all over the US.
This particular group in Dallas was there to urge Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison to fight for President Obama's health care plan with a strong public option. This plan will make affordable health care for all Americans possible while keeping choice of providers and competition. It was also pointed out that alternative plans such as the regional, private co-op plan were unacceptable. Many attending the rally had personal stories to share.
One single mother, for example, mentioned that her health plan offered by her employer was too expensive to cover her whole family.
The peaceful demonstrators were very shocked to hear that the Senator's staff not only refused to meet with a delegation, but also had called the police who promptly asked the group to leave the premises and move to a sidewalk in front of the neighboring property.
Rightful citizens were unable to to peacefully meet with the Senator's staff and these very constituents were actually thrown off the property initially without a chance to be heard. After negotiating the organizer of the group was given permission to bring the staff a petition signed by several thousand demanding support for a strong public option health care plan. A vote on this bill is expected in August.
A statement was given saying that Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison was for competition, but that she hadn't made a decision about the overall plan yet. The newspaper reported that she, like Senator Cornyn, opposes the public option.
One thing is not debatable for this mother who brought her teen daughters to the rally: Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is unwilling to hear what her constituents have to say about health care reform.
