But don't expect any Sonoma County town hall meetings on health care in the near future
In an editorial Wednesday headlined "Town talk", we called on Reps. Lynn Woolsey and Mike Thompson to hold a town hall meeting on health care for our readers. Given the importance of the subject - and the overwhelming response to our online health discussion on Tuesday - "it wouldn't hurt our congressional representatives to live on the edge a little, plan a town hall meeting and hear what North Bay residents have to say."
Thompson's spokeswoman Laurel Brown called to complain, saying she felt the editorial was unfair and didn't give Thompson credit for the health care meetings he has held. She pointed out that he held a town hall meeting in Covelo on Aug. 4 and participated in three health care forums in Yolo County (all sponsored by other organizations) on Aug. 5 and one in Napa on Aug. 3, which also was sponsored and organized by a community group. In addition, he has held two town hall meetings by conference call. (All of these were mentioned in an earlier news story on the subject.)
I pointed out that the editorial referred to Thompson's and Woolsey's conference calls, but that the point of the editorial is that residents of Sonoma County - our primary readership area - have not been able to attend a face-to-face town hall meeting with one of their Congressional representatives. Covelo and Sea Ranch (where Woolsey held a public meeting for two hours last week) are not exactly accessible to most of our readers.
Any chance one may occur in the future? Brown only said that nothing was planned. A Woolsey staffer I talked to on Wednesday said the same thing.
- Paul Gullixson
Covelo? That's where congressman Thompson is hiding. Covelo? Why Covelo, lots of dope farms but no vinyards. What is he doing there? Has anybody ever been there? It only takes about two hours from Ukiah and you better go armed.
This is too rich (or pathetic) to let go of. Laural Brown just called to inform that congressman Mike "hideout" Thompson will be meeting with first congressional voters this coming Monday in Weitchpec. The meeting will be held behind the bushes near the first tree after the town sign. Be there (if you can find it) with your questions. Here's mine: is Mike Thompson actually still alive? Has anybody seen him anywhere outside of a winery?
There's nothing to talk about. The President's a coward and is abandoning his campaign promises. He will give hundreds of billions of dollars to Wall Street bankers, but there is nothing for home owners facing foreclosure or the underemployed losing their health care insurance. And the foreign wars go on and on. Nothing has changed.