MINUTES OF CRYSTAL COAST TEA PARTY PATRIOTS
9 AUGUST 2011
Meeting held at Golden Corral, Morehead City, NC
Meeting called to order at 6:00 by President BOB CAVANAUGH
Pledge of Allegiance was led by WAYNE WILLIS
Invocation by EULA PARKIN
Attendance – 31
New Attendees or Former/Previous Attendees – STEVE and DONNA BIBB from Emerald Isle (been six months or so since last attended), BILL HARRISON from New Bern (dropped in to see how we were doing) and two other attendees that arrived late, but we didn’t get chance to talk with – GLADYS and ED SUESSLE. Glad to have you with us. Hope to see you all more often.
BOB asked how we liked all those ‘nice’ names we were being called. When we first came on the scene, according to Pelosi, we were just ‘astroturf’ (no grass roots). Then we were racists, radicals, thugs, and the latest ‘it’s the TEA Party Downgrade’ (according to Sen. John Kerry). We should not let it get us down. We have come a long way in just two years. We have to remain true to our core values (fiscal responsibility, limited government and free markets) and continue to support those who are in tune with us. We should not get involved in emotional causes like ‘gay marriages’, ‘abortion’, ‘illegal immigration’, etc. Yes, we should be able to voice our opinion, but not get into the fight. It can only divide us and hurt our effort to restore our constitution and country.
ERIC BROYLES feels that since some of us paying the taxes have to undergo drug testing, it should be mandatory that anyone receiving a welfare check have to also.
BOB brought up healthcare and the cost. He told of a friend who had been in the hospital and the hospital had charged him $117.00 for 2 nitro pills. When he got out of the hospital and carried his prescription to the pharmacy to have filled, it cost him something like $12.00 for 3 months.
CLAYTON GILLIKIN said he took insulin which cost $104.00. Then he saw the actual cost of it was .04 cents a vial. Someone is getting rich on our backs.
GRACE GILLIKIN said when she worked with the penal system and ordered meds, there was a huge difference in cost and payment. For example: a $2.00 bottle cost at the drug store $20.00.
FRED DECKER said he had served on the hospital board a few years back. The uncollectable debts were written off as charity work. Back then it ran around $6 million a year.
KEN LANG said he had heard part of a discussion about Obamacare and a new paragraph just unveiled. Did anyone else hear and know what that was all about. Someone said they thought it had something to do with property but they weren’t sure.
LOU KUKULINSKI said his father-in-law needed a very expensive medication for an ailment he had. Medicare refused to pay, so he volunteered to pay for it himself; but was not allowed. ‘He was told everyone should have the same opportunity’. His paying for it himself made it unfair to those who could not afford to pay.
HOWARD GARNER said he knew of a baby who was extremely ill, and the doctor his parents took him to, refused to provide care because Medicare would not pay enough for his time. He advised them to carry the baby to Greenville. This is going to happen more and more. In fact a lot of doctors are already talking about retiring due to the reduction in payments to them by Medicare. HOWARD said for his last visit to the doctor for a routine check up; Medicare paid the doctor $20.00 for the visit. He understood why doctors are discouraged. They can not maintain an office and personnel with payments like that.
WAYNE WILLIS said the bad part is we will continue finding ‘hiccups’ in Obama-care.
EULA PARKIN gave a very interesting talk on the United Nations. She is in favor of cutting our annual contributions to this organization. She brought with her several articles on various informative data. RUTH PARKER said when she and her daughter went to the United Nations building on her daughter’s field trip; she was told by their guide that if any nation could not pay their dues, the United States paid the dues for them. No wonder our money is gone; when it is being thrown away like that.
HOWARD asked if everyone read the article in the paper about teachers’ layoffs and Dr. Novey. BOB said he hadn’t forgotten Dr. Novey; when asked if he had to decide whether to lay off teachers or complete the restoration of an East Carteret School building, he chose the building. HOWARD said Dr. Novey is still up to his old tricks, trying to make the county commissioners look bad for not giving him all the monies he wanted. It was all their fault that teachers had to be let go. HOWARD said according to what he understood from Pat McElraft the state had ensured the schools had enough budgeted so they did not have to let any teachers go. So why was Dr. Novey still whining?
BOB reminded us that there will be not meeting next week (the 16th) here at the Golden Corral. Those who are interested will be going to Cape Carteret to assist in establishing another group in that end of the county. It will be held in the Community Center. Coming from Morehead City, go through the stop light on Hwys 24 and 58, to the next stop light at the bank on the right. Turn onto the road next to the bank and continue until reach the Center on the left. The meeting will start at 7:00pm. Eat before you come, since it does not have a place to dine. BOB said they were trying to get David Fowler to come and speak with us.
BOB asked us to continue writing letters letting everyone know about us and our ideals.
He also said he had heard from Willie Montague. His ministry is raising funds and would appreciate us helping with $100.00 if we could. We will discuss this further at our next meeting (here at the Corral).
BOB had a Republican meeting he had to attend so he had to leave early. He closed the meeting encouraging us to start thinking about the upcoming elections, and to what extent are we going to get involved and how? Also we are going to need poll workers. We need to let everyone know we are still a force to be reckoned with.
Meeting adjourned at 6:55pm.
Minutes submitted by PEGGY GARNER, Secretary