Health care plan protests today

A statewide tour aimed at building opposition to any nationwide health care program that involves a government-run plan will visit Charlotte and three other nearby cities today.

Three more Charlotte-area stops for the Patients First Bus Tour are scheduled Wednesday.

The tour, which began Sunday in Raleigh, is scheduled to criss-cross North Carolina before ending Saturday. In all, 30 stops are planned.

The Charlotte visit this evening is scheduled to include an appearance by Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, who has been a strong opponent of government involvement in health care.

The Charlotte rally stop is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 East Fourth Street. Other stops today include Shelby (11 a.m.), Lincolnton (1 p.m.) and Gastonia (3:30 p.m.).

Wednesday's area stops are in Concord (8:30 a.m.), Kannapolis (10 a.m.) and Salisbury (11:30 a.m.).

Organizers of the tour say they are trying to rally public support to their cause, and they are asking residents to contact Congressional representatives this month, while those representatives are back home during the summer recess. Congress is expected to vote on health care reform in September.

"Americans are fired up about health care, and the bus tour gives more people the opportunity to come out and get involved,â€