“Be it what it may, it’s a step in the right direction,” stated Gallego, “The same was said about Social Security during FDR’s administration and about Medicaid during the time of LBJ.”
If people do not have health coverage, he added, they would have to go to the emergency room of their local hospital which is the most expensive health care there is and if they cannot afford health care, how are they going to be expected to pay?
The next question was that of education and the issue of national education standards and the cuts being taken by school districts across the nation. When asked what hope do districts such as the EPISD have to be able to meet these standards, especially with the advent of a more rigorous state assessment as the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test, Gallego reminded us of the No Child Left Behind Act implemented by former President George W. Bush and its method of holding districts accountable for Annual Yearly Progress.
He added that Congress needs to have something in place to help our districts as opposed to punishing them. He added that the cause of the academic woes could be just that, a lack of funding.
The question of Medicare and Medicaid arose and the fact that people are being denied these services or having to report to state offices monthly in order to continue receiving them.
Gallego said that insurance prices are going up and with the Republican majority we have at this time, they don’t believe in programs which can hep the middle to lower class and they want to make it harder for people to get approval.
Having to report monthly discourages people to request assistance because they are made to take a day off from work to do so and this makes it even harder for citizens to apply for and/or request assistance from a CHIP program for example.
The State Representative was commended for his assistance in the recent rupture of the irrigation canal in Quemado and he received a round of applause when the situation was mentioned.
Gallego reminded the gathering that he has a strong sense of pride and caring for Maverick County, reiterating how important we are to his career and he wanted to let our community know that he is here for us. His prompt response to the disaster resulted in much needed aid from companies from the Eagle Ford Shale Project, Chesapeake in particular who sent two pumps and the necessary amount of pipes to fill the reservoir while repairs are made to the canal.
All in all the meet and greet was determined a success by all who attended.