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Viel Talks Healthcare, Government Transparency at Town HallNuñes Fox, Fernão News Network | May 16, 2017
Viel giving an interview to a local radio station.
- (Portimão, Ferdinand, Fernão) Alexios Viel has been in the headlines for quite some time: from winning the seat of RGA Party Administrator to being attacked in an unusual manner by
The Week, his firebrand demeanor has gotten him into trouble with both the right and his own party. However, stepping away from the frenzies, what is he actually saying and doing? Well, we got an inside look when he participated in a town hall here in Portimão.
Televised across the constituency and state, Viel very rarely mentioned either the Civic Union or his opponent, CTA Senator Michael Ferreira. Our FNN political correspondent Jason Miranda noted that "during [Viel's] town hall, it became clear that he was going a significantly different direction than what we've seen from him, especially during the RGA Party Administrator race, where he was accused of misogyny by Secretary Seo-yeon and many RGA Senators." Let's take a look at this town hall of his.
Speaking to a diverse collection of residents in a community centre, Viel stressed the importance of a clear, transparent government. "Transparency is the one thing that even fully-developed, first world democracies struggle with. Around the world, many countries that used to be models from rising stars in terms of government transparency and openness have now fallen from grace. There are people in these governments that no longer care about how public money, the money that you provide through your daily jobs, is used." He pointed to a few people in the audience at random, before continuing. "It's simply so easy for governments to just not care about their citizens and close themselves off. Electoral integrity can be questioned, like we've seen in Venezuela and Turkey, or rigged to the government's favour, like we saw with Hong Kong and China. On the topic of public funds, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's wife is currently under investigation, and may be indicted for, misuse of public funds to pay for her own personal expenses. If you want more examples, look no further than the United States; however, be sure to do it before the president puts our country on the travel ban for no reason." The audience laughed, and he himself chuckled before taking a sip of water.
"This issue is present in all countries, no matter the socioeconomic status. That is why I introduced the 'Government Transparency Act' — to allow for the people of Fernão to know what their government is doing. The people have a right to know, and I intend to ensure that their right is protected by our laws."
After a quick intermission, Viel talked about his vision for the country's healthcare. "Medical costs around the world have been increasing at an alarming rate. In the United States, people can be expected to fork over nearly $80,000, as was seen in one case, just to breath after suffering a stroke. People get trapped under oceans of debt, their fees haunting them until their death. I remember having to go to the doctor when my wife had to get surgery for her leg — the bill came out to around $20,000, of which I was responsible for. This was just after I'd been elected for the first time, and I'd only received a few paychecks from the government to cover my personal expenses. I had to borrow from friends and family just to make sure my wife's medical bills were taken care of. It was a truly awful situation, and well up with tears whenever I think about the thousands across Fernão who are not receiving a steady source of income, and may be liable for far greater expenses, many that probably meant the difference between life and death."
"However, all is not lost. Let's turn our gaze towards Norway. Their healthcare is world-class: everyone is covered under the government single-payer plan, they pay little to no copays, and due to the government's high investment in the system, the quality of care is the envy of many in the European region. Think the waiting lists may be too long? No problem — there's always the option to opt-out and receive care in foreign countries."
"This is what we in Fernão need to look towards when crafting our own form of healthcare. For the sake of our elderly parents, ourselves, our children and all in between, this country must adopt single-payer universal healthcare. My party stands firmly behind this policy, and we are prepared to make sure that no one gets buried in debt just to breath."
Viel's remarks come on the heels of an increasing presence in the FD-2 Constituency, with many RGA members coming to stump for him, and Viel himself giving twelve speeches and two town halls in just one week. Plans for him to stump for RGA Senators like Bill Jackson and Ritesh Bell have also been presented by his campaign organisation. Viel was also recently spotted at a textiles factory, where he spoke with both union leaders and the actual workers once they were off their shift. An interviewed worker said, "Yeah, Viel came about five when we were about to leave. He was smiling and he was shaking hands with people." The worker chuckled. "He talked to us about worker's rights and stuff, and he seemed to really be focused on making sure that we were able to unionise and that we weren't subject to, as he put it, 'unfair and inhumane' working conditions."
More coverage regarding this interesting race to come.