About those town hall meetings ...

The debate over health care rages on, and many of our lawmakers are trying to (ahem) give the appearance that they're listening. Town Hall meetings seem to be the favorite format, but whether this is an efffective tactic or not, well, it depends on who you listen to.

OK. Goes like this. If you can find a town hall meeting in your area, go there.

This is according to CNN, with links intact:

... many town hall meetings are open to anyone. If you're interested in attending one, you're not alone. More than 70 percent of people say they are either very likely or somewhat likely to attend a town hall on health care, according to a recent CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey. To find a meeting near you, determine who your senators and representatives are. You can find this information on the House and Senate Web sites ... some lawmakers have information about their town hall meetings clearly listed on their Web sites. Democratic Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado, for example, has an "events" section detailing the time and location of his upcoming meetings.

Again, if there's a town hall meeting nearby and you can tear yourself from American Idol long enough, go. You may find that it's liberating to actually give a rip.

Photo:

Voters are confronting lawmakers with tough questions on health care at town hall meetings across the country. Photo by Getty Images, through CNN.