Health care bill is focus of frustration at Oklahoma events

PERRY — If state voters want reform at the national level, they need to urge friends and family members to petition their federal lawmakers. That’s what U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas told constituents at a town hall meeting.

About 100 people turned out in Perry’s municipal building, which hosted one of four town halls Lucas held Thursday in the 3rd Congressional District.

Lucas spoke to the crowd for about 20 minutes about his opposition to many of the key Democrat-backed issues in Congress before taking questions from the crowd.

"Like your neighbors, you’re frightened and furious about what’s going on in Congress,” said Lucas, R-Cheyenne.

Lucas called the proposed health care bill "at best a work in progress” and said he doesn’t support the measure in its current form. Instead he supports a proposal backed by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, to provide a tax credit for Americans to buy health insurance policies.

"I’m in favor of letting market forces improve programs as opposed to a government-run program,” Lucas said.

He noted that he didn’t support the bill to bail out banks or a measure that would cap emissions and charge companies that exceeded those limits, both passed by Congress.

"When I can’t be sure on how your money is going to be spent, I’m going to vote no,” Lucas said.

The crowd at the Perry town hall ranged from young families with children to retirees.

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