WARNER ROBINS – U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall, D-Ga., met with about 1,000 of his District 8 constituents Monday evening in a more than two- hour, sometimes raucous town hall meeting dominated by health care concerns.

The Homer J. Walker Civic Center crowd was not short on opinions or reactions as Marshall explained his position on the complicated health care reform debate in Congress.

The former Macon mayor said he did not favor the current bill in the House of Representatives.

“And the two Senate bills are not much different,” he added. “The bills basically throw money at the problem and I’m just not in favor of doing that. I’m glad we were able to slow down the legislation and I’m hopeful we can derail it all together.”

However, he said to do nothing would lead the country into bankruptcy. “But any legislation that doesn’t address the bankruptcy trajectory doesn’t deserve the name of health care reform,” Marshall stressed. “The principal problem is that the consumer and the physician are removed from the financial decisions. The consequence is skyrocketing cost. And the current House bill will make it worse.”

The veteran legislator was noticeably vague on what he would support.

“I didn’t write this legislation,” he said. “I have some say and impact, but the bill is a moving target. What I see now, I’m not voting for. But if I see something that will fix our long-term problems, then I’ll vote for it.”

He said he expected some form of legislation to pass this year. “But I suspect it will tinker at the edges and not bring about major change,” he told the crowd.

In fielding questions from the audience, the congressman indicated that he did not favor a government option saying free markets are much more efficient.

Asked what he would do about Americans who don’t have health care coverage, he said he was convinced that much could be done to improve access.

“But the current House bill speeds us toward bankruptcy and it can’t be sustained,” he said.

He drew huge applause when he said he opposed the use of American tax money for illegal immigrant health care, but said stopping the availability of jobs is the answer.

“I have a bill now that beefs up verification of someone’s eligibility for jobs here,” he said. “If you take away the candy, the flies won’t keep coming.”

He agreed with one questioner who noted that the proposed health care legislation would place increased burdens on employers, particularly small businessmen.

Marshall called that focus unrealistic. “There is no reason to further burden small businesses,” he said. “They provide most of the employment in the U.S.”

He admitted that he has not read the health care reform bill, an admission that drew a wave of negative response from the Civic Center audience.

“I received a summary of the bill and I’ve read a lot about it,” he noted. “But since I’m not going to vote for it, I’m not going to spend my time figuring out what’s in it. It just tinkers with the system we have now and throws more money at it.”

The evening’s most poignant exchange came when one questioner asked Marshall why he supported the TARP and stimulus bills.

“You have indebted our children and I hereby ask you to resign,” the constituent said over rising noise from the crowd.

Marshall said he had a constitutional obligation to support TARP to avoid a collapse of the nation’s money supply.

“The bubble was starting to collapse and around the world banks were unwilling to move money to various institutions,” he said. “The whole system was freezing up. We had to send a signal that the U.S. would stand behind its money supply and avoid additional panic. If I get voted out for that, so be it.”

He said he supported the first stimulus package but saw no need for a second bill. "In fact we should get that money back with some profit," he noted.

In concluding the evening, the former Army Ranger said the crowd had a right to be concerned.

“But we have the greatest system in the world,” he said. “Part of it is to get together like this. It’s what makes our country great.”