Two very different opinions collided today as Rogers Mayor and Republican Steve Womack gave Congressional opponent and Republican Gunner DeLay a tour of the Rogers Wellness Center; A facility Womack says should become a reality for other communities across the nation.
"We don't spend enough time talking about the underlying causes to some of our healthcare problems and many of those are in the wellness and fitness and prevention arenas...People need an opportunity to be able to improve their own fitness and if they do it in a demonstrative way, they're going to reduce the demand on the healthcare system," said Womack.
Womack says is elected to Congress, he wants to establish a National program to help other communities build their own wellness centers that will focus specifically on improving the quality of life of seniors.
DeLay called the proposal a "boondoggle" that would waste taxpayer dollars and today's tour didn't change his mind. So, the debate continues.
"Mayor Womack proposed a National program that would involve billions of dollars in taxpayer spending to be able to pull off this plan...The government doesn't need to be in the auto business and they don't need to be in the fitness club business... This facility cost 7 million approximately to build. That's a lot of dollars, so if the Federal Government is going to play a role in that, you can see real quick that the costs are going to add up exponentially," said DeLay.
Womack said DeLay came into the tour with a closed mind.
"He came in here with a closed mind. He looked at the facility. I thought he was interested in it, but we didn't do a lot of good. We didn't change his mind," said Womack.
Womack said the centers not only help lower the overall cost of healthcare, but it's something we owe to our seniors.
"A lot of the generation here is what Tom brokaw said won the war and saved the world. That's what this generation has done for our country. So, why can't we just make a few federal dollars available from community to community around the country," said Womack.
There are seven other candidates for the Third Congressional District Seat. The Republican Candidates include retired Brig. Gen. Bernard Skoch, former DEA Special Agent Steve Lowry, Boone County Judge Mike Moore, Gravette businessman Kurt Maddox, Former State Rep. Doug Matayo and State Sen. Cecile Bledsoe of Rogers.
Independent candidate Jerry Coon and Democrat David Whitaker are also running for the seat.
5News contact all of these candidates to get their response on this debate between Womack and DeLay. Here are the responses we have received:
Statement by Gen. Brig. Bernard Skoch (R): "I toured the Rogers Wellness Center as a guest of one of our supporters just last week and think it is a fine facility. But have to add that I am fascinated that at a time when our nation is facing a budget crisis bigger than any in human history, a president who wants to cram socialized healthcare down the throats of our people, and ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, candidates for Congress would be quibbling over whether cities can choose to build wellness centers for their citizens or not. Wellness is important, but let's leave it to cities to decide what they want to do and discuss what is critical to our people: Reining in a federal government gone crazy and fixing illegal immigration."
Statement by Kurt Maddox (R): "I view this debate as not about the center's glowing reviews, but about the role of the federal government. The message I hear loud and clear from the vast majority of Arkansans is that our national government is trying to do too much. I believe if we had followed the model set forth by our founding fathers, our country would not find itself so far in debt and mortgaged to the hilt. National defense originally was the primary role of our federal government. We need to work towards the original intent, and stop turning to Big Brother for every solution. As the only citizen legislator and non politician in this race there today, I found the tour entertaining but off point. I chose to attend and insert myself because at the center of this debate is a challenge to a fundamental philosophy in my campaign: Our Federal Government needs to get smaller. As a small business owner, political outsider, and defender of the Constitution, I will use every opportunity to see that it does just that."
Statement by Steve Lowry (R): "Although the wellness center is an excellent facility and beneficial to its members, the wellness center does not address the core issues of accessibility and cost of healthcare. Folks with Medicare and Medicaid have extreme difficulty in finding healthcare providers that will add them as patients. My partial solution to this problem would have a negligible tax impact, if at all. I propose to allow licensed nurse practitioners ( nurses with masters degrees) to provide basic and emergency healthcare without direct physician oversight and allow them prescription writing capabilities equivalent to a physician's. This would be a cost-effective way to immediately expand healthcare accessibility to those who now either can't get it or are told to wait weeks for basic medical care. This concept has been embraced by the military for years in the guise of battlefield medics and corpsmen ."
Statement by Jerry Coon (I):
"My thought is this, anytime someone advocates partnering with the local communities, that is a good thing. If people have a voice in the decision to be made whether it is a Community Center or other project, the people will let you know their thoughts...that is good government. Now, the big question is, what money do you use? Federal tax dollars to benefit a localized effort such as a wellness center may not be the appropriate use of such tax money, but, if it is local money that is coordinated through the efforts of the elected official to benefit the local people, that is a good thing.
Wellness centers such as the one in Rogers, do benefit people. Leadership that seeks and obtains the peoples approval for such projects is practicing good leadership. I appreciate good leadership even it is coming from someone who is my oponnent for office, a member of a different party or someone I may not agree with all the time.
My philosophy on considering an idea is this, give me 3 reasons why an idea will work then give me 3 reasons why it will not work, let me think about it and see if it fits with the needs or wants of the people and then I will give you my answer. I find this to be my strongest principle of leadership and I find it works better than trying to degrade, belittle or squash an idea right up front without any forethought."
Statement by David Whitaker (D): "I am familiar with their disagreement, and the only comment I would have at this time is that although I recognize the value of Wellness Centers to communities, I reject the notion that they alone are the answer to the health care crisis facing our country. If our entire effort on this front were focused solely on building such centers across the country, without fundamental reforms to the insurance industry and the health care delivery system, then they could legitimately be termed "boondoggles." Neither of these gentlemen seem to grasp this."
"We don't spend enough time talking about the underlying causes to some of our healthcare problems and many of those are in the wellness and fitness and prevention arenas...People need an opportunity to be able to improve their own fitness and if they do it in a demonstrative way, they're going to reduce the demand on the healthcare system," said Womack.
Womack says is elected to Congress, he wants to establish a National program to help other communities build their own wellness centers that will focus specifically on improving the quality of life of seniors.
DeLay called the proposal a "boondoggle" that would waste taxpayer dollars and today's tour didn't change his mind. So, the debate continues.
"Mayor Womack proposed a National program that would involve billions of dollars in taxpayer spending to be able to pull off this plan...The government doesn't need to be in the auto business and they don't need to be in the fitness club business... This facility cost 7 million approximately to build. That's a lot of dollars, so if the Federal Government is going to play a role in that, you can see real quick that the costs are going to add up exponentially," said DeLay.
Womack said DeLay came into the tour with a closed mind.
"He came in here with a closed mind. He looked at the facility. I thought he was interested in it, but we didn't do a lot of good. We didn't change his mind," said Womack.
Womack said the centers not only help lower the overall cost of healthcare, but it's something we owe to our seniors.
"A lot of the generation here is what Tom brokaw said won the war and saved the world. That's what this generation has done for our country. So, why can't we just make a few federal dollars available from community to community around the country," said Womack.
There are seven other candidates for the Third Congressional District Seat. The Republican Candidates include retired Brig. Gen. Bernard Skoch, former DEA Special Agent Steve Lowry, Boone County Judge Mike Moore, Gravette businessman Kurt Maddox, Former State Rep. Doug Matayo and State Sen. Cecile Bledsoe of Rogers.
Independent candidate Jerry Coon and Democrat David Whitaker are also running for the seat.
5News contact all of these candidates to get their response on this debate between Womack and DeLay. Here are the responses we have received:
Statement by Gen. Brig. Bernard Skoch (R): "I toured the Rogers Wellness Center as a guest of one of our supporters just last week and think it is a fine facility. But have to add that I am fascinated that at a time when our nation is facing a budget crisis bigger than any in human history, a president who wants to cram socialized healthcare down the throats of our people, and ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, candidates for Congress would be quibbling over whether cities can choose to build wellness centers for their citizens or not. Wellness is important, but let's leave it to cities to decide what they want to do and discuss what is critical to our people: Reining in a federal government gone crazy and fixing illegal immigration."
Statement by Kurt Maddox (R): "I view this debate as not about the center's glowing reviews, but about the role of the federal government. The message I hear loud and clear from the vast majority of Arkansans is that our national government is trying to do too much. I believe if we had followed the model set forth by our founding fathers, our country would not find itself so far in debt and mortgaged to the hilt. National defense originally was the primary role of our federal government. We need to work towards the original intent, and stop turning to Big Brother for every solution. As the only citizen legislator and non politician in this race there today, I found the tour entertaining but off point. I chose to attend and insert myself because at the center of this debate is a challenge to a fundamental philosophy in my campaign: Our Federal Government needs to get smaller. As a small business owner, political outsider, and defender of the Constitution, I will use every opportunity to see that it does just that."
Statement by Steve Lowry (R): "Although the wellness center is an excellent facility and beneficial to its members, the wellness center does not address the core issues of accessibility and cost of healthcare. Folks with Medicare and Medicaid have extreme difficulty in finding healthcare providers that will add them as patients. My partial solution to this problem would have a negligible tax impact, if at all. I propose to allow licensed nurse practitioners ( nurses with masters degrees) to provide basic and emergency healthcare without direct physician oversight and allow them prescription writing capabilities equivalent to a physician's. This would be a cost-effective way to immediately expand healthcare accessibility to those who now either can't get it or are told to wait weeks for basic medical care. This concept has been embraced by the military for years in the guise of battlefield medics and corpsmen ."
Statement by Jerry Coon (I):
"My thought is this, anytime someone advocates partnering with the local communities, that is a good thing. If people have a voice in the decision to be made whether it is a Community Center or other project, the people will let you know their thoughts...that is good government. Now, the big question is, what money do you use? Federal tax dollars to benefit a localized effort such as a wellness center may not be the appropriate use of such tax money, but, if it is local money that is coordinated through the efforts of the elected official to benefit the local people, that is a good thing.
Wellness centers such as the one in Rogers, do benefit people. Leadership that seeks and obtains the peoples approval for such projects is practicing good leadership. I appreciate good leadership even it is coming from someone who is my oponnent for office, a member of a different party or someone I may not agree with all the time.
My philosophy on considering an idea is this, give me 3 reasons why an idea will work then give me 3 reasons why it will not work, let me think about it and see if it fits with the needs or wants of the people and then I will give you my answer. I find this to be my strongest principle of leadership and I find it works better than trying to degrade, belittle or squash an idea right up front without any forethought."
Statement by David Whitaker (D): "I am familiar with their disagreement, and the only comment I would have at this time is that although I recognize the value of Wellness Centers to communities, I reject the notion that they alone are the answer to the health care crisis facing our country. If our entire effort on this front were focused solely on building such centers across the country, without fundamental reforms to the insurance industry and the health care delivery system, then they could legitimately be termed "boondoggles." Neither of these gentlemen seem to grasp this."
