'Tea party' crowd wants government's role limited

[undeterred]

Posted: Jan. 16, 2010

Franksville — Elizabeth Henderson has a concise prescription for what ails the nation's health care system: Limit the federal government's role. "I want government out of my life. I can make my own decisions," Henderson, of Union Grove, said Saturday, as she and others gathered at a "tea party" to protest the health care legislation pending in Congress and other issues.

The event, sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, included speeches from radio talk show host Vicki McKenna and Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher, filled a farm field. Organizers said it drew an estimated 3,000 people, but that number couldn't be verified. There are two separate health insurance bills, one passed by the Senate and another by the House. Lawmakers must resolve the differences between the two bills before a measure can be sent to President Barack Obama. The legislation, supported by Democrats and opposed by Republicans, would provide health insurance to more than 30 million people who currently lack coverage while preventing insurers from refusing coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

Supporters, including Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), say the legislation is the right thing to do for people who have little or no health insurance. They also say the bill will help reduce costs by focusing on preventive care for people who currently cannot afford it. Opponents say it will bring higher costs for taxpayers, the inevitable result when the federal government expands a social welfare program. And that opinion has morphed into the tea party movement that spread throughout the country last year. After a hiatus over the holidays, the movement has picked up steam again, now that health care reform reaches a critical juncture.

At the events, conservatives have vowed to take a bigger active role in local Republican Party politics and this fall's congressional races. The tea party activists are "more popular than either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party," McKenna told the crowd. She and other speakers said the movement would "take back our country" in the November elections.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/81900172.html

Pictures of rally at the link.

[yourout]

1. ah.....this Vicki McKenna.

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