A highly engaged group of Marshalltown citizens gathered at the Iowa Valley Community College on Thursday evening for a lively conversation about health care and financial security. Participants included a former college instructor, librarian, homemakers, bank teller, a retired waitress, retired factory workers, county workers and independent business owners.

There was agreement in the group of the need for basic health care plans that would be affordable and accessible health care for all Americans, at the same time, there was concern the government would be incapable of managing a national health care system.

The group also agreed on the need for financial education for all beginning in grade school and through college. There was considerable discussion about the lack of incentives for savings, contrasted with the ease of obtaining loans. The group felt there is overwhelming need for Americans to understand how to save, how to invest and how to budget.

There was also discussion about the need for business and industry to change their human resource practices. One participant, who also volunteers for SCORE, an entrepreneurial resource program, lamented the situation where middle-age workers have had an accident on the job and lose their jobs. He comments that he is deeply bothered by the fact that people who get hurt in working for industry end up getting abandoned by them.
The group agreed that business should be required to live up to a business code of ethics for their workers.