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Eichelberger discusses health care, education

Eichelberger talks about state, national issues with Indivisible Blair County members

Mirror photo by Ryan Brown / State Sen. John H. Eichelberger Jr., R-Blair, addresses attendees at a town hall event in St. Luke’s Episcopal Church hall Wednesday.

Mirror photo by Ryan Brown
/ State Sen. John H. Eichelberger Jr., R-Blair, addresses attendees at a town hall event in St. Luke’s Episcopal Church hall Wednesday.

Sharing a few testy exchanges with the audience, state Sen. John H. Eichelberger Jr., R-Blair, discussed health care, pipelines and school vouchers Wednesday at a church hall filled with Indivisible Blair County members.

Eichelberger, well known for his conservative views, met with the nonpartisan, progressive group for a public back-and-forth covering local issues and his work in Harrisburg. But to some of the 100 or more people in the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church hall, he served another role: as a stand-in for the GOP’s policies in Washington.

“I worry about the silence. There is so much silence from the Republicans, and so many of the Democrats,” an audience member said, questioning the Republican replacement for the Affordable Care Act that passed the U.S. House last month. “If it passes the Senate, it will fall on Pennsylvania.”

As a state senator, Eichelberger has little say over events in Washington.

But audience members concerned about health care policy called on him to defend Pennsylvania’s Medicare users, Medicaid recipients and Obamacare beneficiaries if his fellow Republicans manage to pass their own health care law to slash or alter those programs.

Eichelberger pointed to his work with Altoona-based Dr. Zane Gates, who has worked to establish a system of fee-based medical clinics that provide a base of service outside the standard insurance setup most Americans rely on. But he questioned those opposed to the GOP health plan, challenging even the Congressional Budget Office, which predicts

23 million could lose insurance if the bill becomes law.

“I’ve seen a lot of questions about that number. I don’t know that I believe that number,” he said, provoking murmurs in the crowd.

Others hit Eichelberger for his stance on energy, particularly the Mariner East 2 pipeline currently under construction in Blair and Huntingdon counties. Eichelberger told a questioner he supports the use of eminent domain to seize land for private developments — prompting the woman to reply, “You should be ashamed,” to loud applause.

“There’s going to be spills,” he said of the pipeline, provoking angry responses. “We don’t want to confuse having an incident and having the project approved.”

Some of the harshest exchanges came when Eichelberger addressed schools, an area he now covers as head of the Senate Education Committee.

Eichelberger touted a plan for Education Savings Accounts, a taxpayer funding mechanism critics have described as a new face for school vouchers. The accounts would let families save money with some state help, to pay for private, parochial or public schools as they desire.

Despite widespread disagreement, there were a few moments of friendship: After some accused him of stirring partisanship with his online attacks on “liberal activists,” Eichelberger agreed to review his words and consider more inclusive language, earning applause and compliments.

The ideological rift was far from closed at the end, however.

When a woman approached him afterward and reminded him of the power of peaceful debate — citing the Jan. 21 Women’s March on Washington as an example — Eichelberger raised an eyebrow.

“The women’s march

wasn’t peaceful,” he said of the protest, which ended with zero arrests and no reported police incidents. “You’re talking about blowing up buildings.”

Mirror Staff Writer Ryan Brown is at 946-7457.

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