William J. Kemble reports in The Daily Freeman that Rep. Antonio Delgado, a Democrat from Rhinebeck, spoke to the Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 21, explaining about his first month in office. “As a new member of Congress, I can tell you it was a bit disorienting trying to figure out the lay of the land amidst the longest shutdown of the government in the country’s history, and it was profoundly irresponsible and reckless,” said Delgado. A business owner asked the 19th Congressional District representative about health care costs. “What we can do is inject a public competitor into the system and make sure there’s at least a floor that will drive down the premiums and drive down deductibles,” he said. “We’re the only developed [country] without some form of universal health care.... Whether it’s a single-payer system, whether it’s a public option — we don’t have anything ... and we’ve got to change that.” Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.