With a historic health care reform vote expected in the House Sunday, a small East Bay group associated with the Tea Party protested on Thursday afternoon outside the North Broadway office of U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, who represents California's 10th congressional district. It was the second afternoon in a row the group was out in front of the Atrium building on Broadway. Garamendi, a Democrat, is a strong supporter of the legislation and is expected to vote yes. Rep Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton), whose office the protesters planned to rally in front of Friday, is said to be leaning yes but wants to analyze the bill before he makes a final decision. Democratic Reps. George Miller, Barbara Lee ,and Pete Stark also say they will vote yes on the heavily debated compromise bill.
"At the end of the day, this debate boils down to two questions," Garamendi says on his website. "Do we stand with the millions of people without coverage and millions more one pink slip away from health care ruin? Or do we stand with the entrenched interests who will do all they can to stop reform to maximize their profits at the expense of patients? I believe every American deserves access to affordable health care coverage, and I will do all I can to make that happen."
But Heather G., an Alamo mom and realtor who has been helping to organize Tea Party protests at various East Bay locations over the past several months, says health care reform would be disastrous for the economy, and amounts to those in power hijacking control of our country from the will of the people. "Our main concerns as Tea Partyers is the amount of spending and what that will do to the country," she said.
Republicans have attacked the $940 billion legislation as a government takeover of the health care industry financed by tax increases and higher Medicare cuts.
But Heather G. said that this particular protest wasn't just about health care reform but about the entire direction the country is headed in. She said a lot of people are fed up and angry.
But Heather G. said that this particular protest wasn't just about health care reform but about the entire direction the country is headed in. She said a lot of people are fed up and angry.
"I don't know what will happen is the bill passes," she said. "It's going to get really, really ugly."
She emphasized that her group is made of people of both major political parties and that their protests are always peaceful. "We don't advocate violence."
Besides objecting to the direction the country is going in, under President Obama and the Democratic leadership, the protesters also sniffed at the idea that Garamendi doesn't even live in the 10th congressional district that he represents and is barely seen here.
The Congressional Budget Office released a report Thursday saying that House changes to this legislation will shave $138 billion from the federal deficit over the next decade and save as much $1.2 trillion over the following decade.
