March against Obama's health care plan; president opposes status quo
Written By
DNA Web Team
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Tens of thousands of protesters marched from the White House to Capitol Hill against Barack Obama's health care reform proposal and higher taxes.
Tens of thousands of protesters marched from the White House to Capitol Hill against Barack Obama's health care reform proposal, higher taxes and "out-of- control" government spending, even as the president denounced his critics and declared he would not accept the "status quo".
Marchers waved signs reading, 'Proud member of the angry mob,' 'I didn't vote for this Obamanation,' 'Fire the czars' and 'You represent us, not rule us' during the rally last night here.
The demonstrations came to Washington from across the United States as the US president sought to boost support for his health care reform plans during a rally in Minneapolis, a Democratic-leaning state which has one of the country's smallest numbers of uninsured residents.
"I will not accept the status quo. Not this time. Not now," Obama said addressing a crowd of 15,000.
He said he would not allow special interests to "use the same old tactics to keep things the way they are".
Obama, however, said his plan was open to ideas from across the political spectrum. "If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen. My door is always open," he said.
He warned, though, that he would not waste time with those who believe: "it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it".
It is estimated that some 46 million Americans do not have health insurance and a further 25 million are thought to have inadequate insurance. The health care plans currently being considered in Congress are attempting to expand coverage, while also reforming the system to prevent spiralling costs.
The bill in this regard would expand coverage to 97% of Americans, at a cost of about $600 billion.
In Washington, protesters attacked the Obama Administration for what they called out-of-control spending - on health care, the stimulus packages and the bailout of the banking and car industries.
The protesters insisted that spending tax dollars on a government-run health insurance option will increase inflation and lead the country to economic ruin.
The march was coordinated by the conservative grouping Freedomworks, a grassroots movement calling for lower taxes and smaller government.
"The government should be doing things that are authorised by the Constitution; they should be doing things that the people want, not things that they just decide are nifty. We can't afford these things anymore.
"The government should be concentrating on cutting spending on all the programmes, not thinking of new, wonderful ways of spending more .... I've voted my whole life. This is the first time in my life I've gotten off the couch and said, 'I'm sick of this,'" a protester was quoted as saying by CNN.
Another man was quoted as saying, "We're here to let the government know that we do not want government involvement in our health care nor do we want the higher taxation that comes along with such a proposal."
One woman at the event summed up her feelings about issues this way: "It's too much too fast."
The conservative advocacy group Tea Party Express was among those protested at the US Capitol.
An official crowd estimate was not available, but witnesses at the scene described the massive crowd as reaching the tens of thousands.
"Born free, taxed to death," one protester's sign read while another, held up by an immigrant from Ukraine, said: "I had enough of socialism in the USSR," according to BBC News.
In a yet-to-be aired interview with the CBS news show '60 Minutes', Obama said "I have no interest in having a bill get passed that fails. That doesn't work."
"I intend to be president for a while and once this bill passes, I own it." And if it doesn't work, Obama said: "I'm the one who's going to be held responsible. So I have every incentive to get this right."
Marchers waved signs reading, 'Proud member of the angry mob,' 'I didn't vote for this Obamanation,' 'Fire the czars' and 'You represent us, not rule us' during the rally last night here.
The demonstrations came to Washington from across the United States as the US president sought to boost support for his health care reform plans during a rally in Minneapolis, a Democratic-leaning state which has one of the country's smallest numbers of uninsured residents.
"I will not accept the status quo. Not this time. Not now," Obama said addressing a crowd of 15,000.
He said he would not allow special interests to "use the same old tactics to keep things the way they are".
Obama, however, said his plan was open to ideas from across the political spectrum. "If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen. My door is always open," he said.
He warned, though, that he would not waste time with those who believe: "it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it".
It is estimated that some 46 million Americans do not have health insurance and a further 25 million are thought to have inadequate insurance. The health care plans currently being considered in Congress are attempting to expand coverage, while also reforming the system to prevent spiralling costs.
The bill in this regard would expand coverage to 97% of Americans, at a cost of about $600 billion.
In Washington, protesters attacked the Obama Administration for what they called out-of-control spending - on health care, the stimulus packages and the bailout of the banking and car industries.
The protesters insisted that spending tax dollars on a government-run health insurance option will increase inflation and lead the country to economic ruin.
The march was coordinated by the conservative grouping Freedomworks, a grassroots movement calling for lower taxes and smaller government.
"The government should be doing things that are authorised by the Constitution; they should be doing things that the people want, not things that they just decide are nifty. We can't afford these things anymore.
"The government should be concentrating on cutting spending on all the programmes, not thinking of new, wonderful ways of spending more .... I've voted my whole life. This is the first time in my life I've gotten off the couch and said, 'I'm sick of this,'" a protester was quoted as saying by CNN.
Another man was quoted as saying, "We're here to let the government know that we do not want government involvement in our health care nor do we want the higher taxation that comes along with such a proposal."
One woman at the event summed up her feelings about issues this way: "It's too much too fast."
The conservative advocacy group Tea Party Express was among those protested at the US Capitol.
An official crowd estimate was not available, but witnesses at the scene described the massive crowd as reaching the tens of thousands.
"Born free, taxed to death," one protester's sign read while another, held up by an immigrant from Ukraine, said: "I had enough of socialism in the USSR," according to BBC News.
In a yet-to-be aired interview with the CBS news show '60 Minutes', Obama said "I have no interest in having a bill get passed that fails. That doesn't work."
"I intend to be president for a while and once this bill passes, I own it." And if it doesn't work, Obama said: "I'm the one who's going to be held responsible. So I have every incentive to get this right."