“Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind.â€
Paul Simon, of Simon and Garfunkel, wrote “Bridge Over Troubled Water†in 1969 and released it in 1970. He has said that it came to him quickly and was inspired by a 1959 song, “Mary Don’t You Weep.â€
I use this song as a segue for a community forum that is being planned called “Building Bridges Town Hall.†It will be held Aug. 24 at the Woman’s Club, 1600 Virginia St. E., from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The song title aptly fits the times we are in, which seem troubled and chaotic whether or not a person agrees or disagrees, or is uncertain, about the impacts of the many actions coming from the federal and state government.
The forum will provide attendees a chance to ask questions of their elected officials or be informed by others’ questions and answers. I have found that there is as much conflicting information as there is misinformation. What does H.R. 1 do? What are the effects? What is not in the bill but people think it is? What is actually in the bill that many don’t realize?
We hope that the elected officials invited can help answer these broad questions and also more specific questions. We have invited Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, and Jim Justice, Reps. Carol Miller, and Riley Moore, all R-W.Va., Gov. Patrick Morrisey, and the four state senators and 10 delegates representing Kanawha County. Also invited are representatives from city and county government, since they will be dealing with several impacts from H.R. 1 and other actions.
Our goal is to be nonpartisan, although it has been planned by the Kanawha County Democratic Executive Committee and Kanawha County Democratic Women for the purpose of bringing together citizens and their elected officials to build bridges rather than division. An invitation was extended to the Republican Committee Chair but they respectfully declined. We have a conduct protocol to ensure a respectful event and an experienced moderator for the question and answer session so that the town hall doesn’t turn into a shouting match as some across the country have.
We will provide a fact sheet with credible sources cited but this has not been an easy document to prepare because those pesky “facts†change depending on the source. Here are a variety of examples of facts about H.R. 1:
- It includes the largest cuts to Medicaid and food assistance in our nation’s history.
- It increases the state’s share of the cost to administer SNAP from 50% to 75%, costing the state at least $9 million more per year.
- It increases the federal debt by more than $3 trillion over the next decade.
- The nation’s uninsured population could increase by 60%, resulting in 51,000 additional deaths each year.
It’s hard to wrap our minds around trillions of dollars over the next decade, but it is simple to see what the effects could be in West Virginia. We rank as the third oldest age state in the country, the second most unhealthy state, and the fourth among states with the highest poverty rate. West Virginia will be profoundly impacted by H.R.1.
Building Bridges Town Hall is a forum for exchanging information and building a knowledge base among our citizens so we can all better discern what is really happening and what is mistaken information.
“When times get rough, and friends just can’t be found, like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.†Please join us. You’ll be among friends and fellow citizens who may not always agree but who are interested in being informed.
