Perriello faces another tough crowd at Rustburg town hall

RUSTBURG — A Campbell County audience gave Rep. Tom Perriello a loud and clear demonstration Friday night of what it thought of the health care proposals pending in Congress.

Most people didn’t like them.

“This is socialism,” one speaker said, as a round of cheers and jeers filled the Rustburg High School auditorium.

Another speaker insisted the health care bill would give the government access to people’s bank accounts. Perriello replied, “If there’s any ambiguity about that, it should be cleaned up” in the legislation, and “the federal government shouldn’t get access to bank accounts.”

Another speaker said, “Sarah Palin was right. There are death panels” in the legislation’s section 123, page 30. “It says a government panel will decide what treatment people get,” the speaker said.

Few of the speakers introduced themselves during the first, and loudest, hour of the 19th town hall meeting Perriello, D-5th District, has held during Congress’ August recess. As the meeting continued into its third hour, the crowd grew quieter.

Attendance probably exceeded 350, although a good estimate was difficult because people came and went.

One woman brought a copy of HR3200, the legislation she called “the 1,017-page Obama death care bill” that she objected to on “legal, moral, constitutional” and other grounds.

Her comments brought the crowd to its feet cheering.

When another speaker thanked Perriello for holding the meeting, a few people applauded. That speaker went on to criticize Perriello, saying he has “voted with Nancy Pelosi 90 percent of the time,” bringing another round of cheers. Pelosi is speaker of the House.

Perriello responded with a list of times he has not voted with the Democratic leadership.

He’s voted 10 times to investigate Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a congressman known for steering federally funded projects to his district, Perriello said.

“I don’t have any trouble voting against party lines,” Perriello said.

Another speaker challenged, “You are not a ruler, you are my employee.”

Perriello agreed that he’s an employee, and then added that he has 650,000 constituents who are all his bosses.

“It’s clear that this room seems pretty united against HR3200,” Perriello said. “That is not the opinion of my constituents as a whole.”

A few speakers said they were in favor of a “public option” choice for obtaining health care protection, but those speakers also said they wanted a health care bill that allows people who have private insurance to keep it.

Another speaker said she thought more than half of the audience was, like her, receiving Social Security and Medicare. “Both of those programs are socialist,” she said, and went on to say they are the reasons she and her husband have been able to keep their home and car.

One speaker who did give his name was John Parrish, of Altavista.

“I came to thank you” for having the meeting, Parrish told Perriello, “but I have changed my mind. You’ve talked twice as much as you’ve listened. You say what Obama wants you to say and not what the people of Campbell County want you to say.”

Perriello’s last town hall meeting will be Monday at 6 p.m. in Appomattox.