Scalise tackles health care, immigration, more at town hall meeting
by Michelle Hunter - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

More than 80 residents assembled in Elmwood on Tuesday night to talk about health care changes, immigration and other issues during a town hall meeting with U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise. The gathering was the third of six town hall meetings scheduled by Scalise, R-Jefferson. Earlier in the day, he met with residents in New Orleans and St. Rose. More meetings are scheduled in Hammond on Thursday and in St. Tammany on April 12 at 10 a.m. in the parish Council Chambers, 21490 Knoop Drive, Mandeville, and at 7 p.m. at the Slidell High School gymnasium, 1 Tiger Drive, Slidell. On Tuesday night, Scalise acknowledged that health care reform was the top issue on the minds of the constituents he had met with earlier in the day. "I've been very clear from the beginning that I've been opposed to a government takeover of health care," Scalise said. "I think the bill that passed makes health care worse in this country ... It's not going to solve any real problems for people who don't have health care." Scalise said he had co-sponsored an amendment that was defeated that would have forced Congress members to be covered under the new health care plans. The congressman said the state attorney general's office has joined a 14-state lawsuit challenging the health care bill, including the constitutionally of requiring citizens to buy a private, government approved product.