Yesterday, OFA supporters and volunteers visited both Senator John McCain’s and Senator Jon Kyl’s offices with the message that Arizonans want to see health insurance reform this holiday season. They gathered outside the offices holding signs saying, “No is not a solution”, “The status quo is making me sick” and the like. Drivers passing by honked their horns and waved, affirming the message that Arizona wants health insurance reform.
Prior to visiting the Senators' offices, OFA volunteers collected holiday wishes from Arizonans across the state. On the holiday wishes, Arizonans were asked to tell McCain and Kyl why Arizona needs health insurance reform. Reasons for supporting health insurance reform ranged from the sensible, “America trails internationally in quality of health care rating somewhere between 25th and 35th”, to the personal, “I cannot afford health insurance for me or my family”.
Thousands of holiday wishes were gathered up and prepared to be presented at the offices. Some were attached to a giant holiday card, but the majority were placed in a beautifully gift wrapped box with a lovely ribbon and bow. Then the pledges were delivered to offices of the Senators, in hopes that they would be considered when the Senators made their final vote on health insurance reform.
Please take a minute click here, call your Senators, and tell them that you want health insurance reform this holiday season. If you are interested in learning more about OFA in Arizona or have any questions please email OFAArizona@DNC.org.
Check out the local coverage from the events.
For the last 10 weeks, Organizing for America has had a solid group of 7 interns from across Arizona, working to bring change into their communities. From Anthem to Tucson, these students took time out of their very busy schedules, to develop the basic building blocks need of community organizing.
Erik C., an ASU student, wasn’t sure what he was getting into at first and had a few reservations:
At first I was doubtful that people older than me would take me seriously when I called to ask them to volunteer. After a few weeks these people weren’t just volunteering with me, they had become friends. They would call me regarding things outside of volunteering, and as I look back, I know, I have really become a part of my community.
Interns worked side by side with their Regional Field Directors. They took part in a gamut of activities, from running a phone bank, to hosting organizational meetings, and even developed their own neighborhood teams and leadership.
Thank you to Cara, Amanda, Erik, Rebecca, Chris, Margo, and Marissa for all your hard work. You all have played an important role in progressing health insurance reform and empowering your communities.
While the internship ends this week, and we are grateful to the work that are interns have done, the program will be starting up again in the spring of 2010. Click here to fill out the intern application; the deadline is fast approaching!
All last week, OFA volunteers, energized from the House vote on the health insurance reform bill, said thank you to Arizona’s members of Congress that supported health insurance reform. Thursday and Friday, volunteers intensified their efforts and held events all over the state. From Sierra Vista to Flagstaff, supporters got out into the community and let their appreciation and support be known.
In Flagstaff, Northern Arizona University students Emily, Aleks, Blekk, and Blaise got a life saver floatation device and went out on NAU’s campus. They asked students to sign the life saver and call Rep. Kirkpatrick office thanking her for her support.
In Prescott, Sierra Vista and Scottsdale, volunteers went directly to the Congressional Offices. They brought with them thank you notes expressing their sincerest appreciation and passed them along to the staff of Rep. Kirkpatrick, Rep. Giffords, and Rep. Mitchell.
In Sedona and Tucson, supporters held rallies on street corners waving signs and American flags. Rep. Giffords made a surprise appearance at the Tucson rally and took time to speak and take pictures with the crowd. She spoke about the importance of health insurance reform legislation and how hearing from her constituents played a critical role in helping her make her decision.
Please contact your Representative and Senators by CLICKING HERE. Let them know you support health insurance reform and you want them to support it as well. Then CLICK HERE to sign up for an upcoming health care event and join the fight to pass ground breaking health care reform.
Check out this slide show of pictures from all the “Thank You” Events.
Monday morning after the historic vote in the House, Arizona health care supporters wasted no time thanking their members of Congress for supporting health care reform. In the Congressional Districts of Rep Ed Pastor, Rep Harry Mitchell and Rep Raúl Grijalva, supporters headed over to their member’s offices to personally show their appreciation.
Armed with smiles and homemade thank you cards, supporters met with Congressional staffers and expressed their deepest gratitude.
Congressional staffers were very receptive as well, and took some time to talk with the health care supporters and explain the upcoming legislative process.
CLICK HERE to find upcoming Thank You events. CLICK HERE to write a letter to the editor and make your voice heard.
This is a new section of the Arizona blog where we will showcase one of the countless hard working volunteers and community organizers. For the inaugural post we are showcasing Vene A., a local lawyer from Tucson who is passionate about working with her neighbors and bettering her community.
I am a transactional attorney from Nogales, Arizona, with a secret political wonk side. I found OFA through an email, and was immediately drawn to the organization. So far I have participated in planning a major media event at the University of Arizona Medical School, where over 200 doctors, students and researchers attended. The event garnered television press. I've collected over 100 declarations on behalf of OFA, I have also assisted in phone banking, notably on the day OFA attempted to get 100,000 calls to Washington, D.C. and we ended up with 330,000 calls to Congress and last, I have helped in planning and attending canvasses. As a result of my involvement in OFA, I was invited to the White House to represent OFA at a reception and concert.
1. How long have you been volunteering with OFA? I've been volunteering with OFA since August. 2. Why did you get involved volunteering with OFA? I felt energized by the state staff to work on pushing through President Obama's agenda. 3. What are some of the more effective practices you have found that work in getting people mobilized with OFA? Leading by example and sharing my personal story have been the two most effective practices that motivate people. I also find that listening to volunteers and truly hearing their stories to personalize my training helps the work go easier. 4. What has been the highlight of your time volunteering with OFA? Definitely organizing and putting together a presentation for hundreds of students and professionals. 5. What issue/issues matters most to you and why? In general, social inequality is the most important issue to me because it leads to so many other problems. If we can equalize the opportunities for different classes/races at a young age, we can prevent many of the issues that face the impoverished and minorities. We see this issue pervade health care reform, education reform, drug policy reform and energy policy.
1. How long have you been volunteering with OFA?
I've been volunteering with OFA since August.
2. Why did you get involved volunteering with OFA?
I felt energized by the state staff to work on pushing through President Obama's agenda.
3. What are some of the more effective practices you have found that work in getting people mobilized with OFA?
Leading by example and sharing my personal story have been the two most effective practices that motivate people. I also find that listening to volunteers and truly hearing their stories to personalize my training helps the work go easier.
4. What has been the highlight of your time volunteering with OFA?
Definitely organizing and putting together a presentation for hundreds of students and professionals.
5. What issue/issues matters most to you and why?
In general, social inequality is the most important issue to me because it leads to so many other problems. If we can equalize the opportunities for different classes/races at a young age, we can prevent many of the issues that face the impoverished and minorities. We see this issue pervade health care reform, education reform, drug policy reform and energy policy.
Last week, OFA-Arizona held its first official senior-to-senior phone banks in Phoenix and Tucson. Dozens of Arizona’s retirement community took the time to call other seniors and speak about health insurance reform. In Tucson, we were joined by Dr. Phibbs, who is Arizona’s oldest practicing physician at 93 years old. He emphatically called seniors and articulated the need for health insurance reform from an experienced doctor’s perspective.
We made these calls for three reasons: 1. to explain Presidents Obama’s plan for health insurance reform, 2. to dispel myths about Medicare and health insurance reform, and 3. to let seniors know how important their voices are in this fight. The senior volunteers encouraged supporters to call their member of Congress and let their congressperson know why health insurance reform is so personally important. As a result of the calls, they also recruited many new volunteers.
After making over 60 calls to seniors in the Pima county area and making the entire office smile with her charming phone conversations, Vickie S. remarked:
I had such a neat time phone banking other seniors this afternoon! It’s easy to work on something you love--like my marriage--Worked on it for 61 years and loved every moment of it. I love every moment of talking to other people my age about health care.
Join Dr. Phibbs, Vickie and other seniors who are taking action to encourage health insurance reform. Senior phone banks will be taking place every week in Tucson and Phoenix. CLICK HERE to find an event near you.
Last weekend, all across Arizona supporters and volunteers gathered together to canvass their neighborhoods for health reform. All together there were 14 unique canvasses on Saturday, some of which had multiple shifts. Over a hundred volunteers came out to talk with their neighbors about the importance of getting health reform passed. Volunteers not only talked with supporters about how important it is to support health reform but also the importance of calling and writing their member of congress and letting them know how they feel. Click here, to call your member of Congress.
The majority of the canvasses were hosted by volunteer community organizers and neighborhood team leaders. Participants ranged from seasoned veterans to first time volunteers who have decided to take action to bring about health reform. Elinor R. woke up on Saturday and decided that today she was going to get involved and canvassed for two shifts in two different neighborhoods in Maricopa County. She said the following about her decision to volunteer that day:
When I heard what people were being told about health reform on the news, I was upset. I decided to do something about it. I am here to do what I can and get informed to help bring about health insurance reform.
Health Reform Canvasses are now taking place every Saturday all across the state. Click here to find an event near you for this upcoming weekend. Also check out the article written about the Mesa canvass here.
Congressman Grijalva, co-chair of the Democratic Progressive Caucus and representative for Arizona's Congressional District Seven, headlined the first in the nation Spanish language health care town hall in Tucson on Saturday, sponsored by Organizing for America. Addressing over 150 local Spanish speaking voters, the Congressman spoke about the health care needs in the Hispanic community and was joined by a panel of local community members. The panel consisted of a public health professor, Cecilia Rosales MD MS from U of Arizona, a local family physician, Laura Elías de la Torre MD from El Rio Health Center, and a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy who struggles to pay her insurance premiums, Josefina Iturralde, all of whom told personal stories about their experiences with our failing health care system.
The Congressman and panelists then answered questions from the audience for over an hour and attendees left feeling more knowledgeable about the plans being proposed and the need for health reform for all of America including the Hispanic community. Thirty five percent of Arizona Hispanics under the age of 65 do not have health care coverage, and 1 in 10 Hispanic children under the age of 18 lack access to health insurance.
After the town hall, an attendee, Gloria Valadez, declared, “La reforma medica es nesesaria para el futuro de nuestro pais. La salud no tiene precio y si llegara a pasar esta reforma nos ayudaria a manterner los costos de medicamentos mas bajos, ofreciendo oportunidad en mantener una mejor salud. Por eso creo que es importante poner nuestro granito de arena en ayudando a pasar la reforma.” Translated: “Health Care Reform is necessary for our country's future. There is no price on health and if this reform were to pass it would help keep medical costs down, offering an option to keep us healthy. That is why I believe that it’s important that we all do our part in helping to pass this reform.” Please join supporters like Gloria by clicking here and getting involved. Also to find more information on health reform in Spanish, click here to see healthreform.gov in Spanish and click here to see whitehouse.gov/realitycheck in Spanish.
We had a wonderful National Health Care Service Day together, raised $105 plus a waist-high box full of precious supplies for Casa De Los Ninos (a local children's transitional crisis housing center with a warm, supportive environment), saw adorable dogs sporting their Obama gear and shared from the heart about our health care stories and why we care so much!
Bo, the President's new furry companion, would have been proud of his canine brothers in Reid park!
Great job everyone! I cannot thank you enough for making this a wonderful event!
Wow, I cannot tell you how good it feels to be back doing the grass roots action thing again, trying to make the most positive difference possible!
Me and my friend Valerie went out for our first time to discuss health care reform with our neighbors. We weren't completely sure how things would go--how receptive people would be, what kinds of questions and opinions they would have, etc.
We had an INCREDIBLY positive morning! We spent two hours out together, and people really wanted to talk with us...to hear what we were saying and be listened to as well. Many people said they didn't really know what was going on with health care reform right now, but they were curious.
When we explained what we were doing, they were positive and supportive about President Obama's three main goals (reducing cost, providing choice, and assuring quality, affordable healthcare for all). Some people expressed that they had no idea what needed to be done to fix our system, just that it was evident SOMETHING had to be done quickly. Others had informed opinions about plans and approaches they wanted to see happen for meaningful health care reform, and regardless of the specifics, they did feel they could support the President in his three main goals to help make health care reform happen.
We handed out some printed host guide materials left over from my health care kickoff house party and we directed people to the health care reform action center at barckobama.com , where they can learn how to contact their representatives and get more involved in our grass roots movement!
It sincerely felt wonderful to be out doing this, and people were gracious and receptive! This was a fantastic way to spend our Saturday morning!
Thanks Dan for all the HARD work you have been doing! We will see you over the next few Monday's downtown!
-Matt
Help support education in Arizona by holding signs outside the Governor’s Education Building every Monday afternoon from 4:00-5:30 on the NW corner of Congress and Granada in downtown Tucson. United we stand, divided we fall. Stand together for those who have received a pink slip or RIF. Show support to improve the entire education environment. There are signs there, but you are welcome to bring one you made. If you need a chair, please bring your own, as well as water to drink. Thanks for helping change education for the better!! There is free parking in the garage on the west of Granada on the north side of Congress.
http://speakupnowaz.org/
http://vodpod.com/watch/1349208-lost-generation
President Obama impresses me every day with what he is doing, and what he is trying to do. But I'm appalled at the obstructionist, mendacious behavior by some of the Republicans, taking advantage of his openhanded overtures to try to turn the stimulus bill into something that weakens or destroys its impact, and then falsely claiming they've been shut out of the process and voting against it anyway. Either they refuse to belief the economic facts in the face of all evidence, or don't care about anything but the approval of like-minded constituents. Perhaps they really believe that, as GOP Chairman Michael Steele said, "The Obama-backed stimulus is just a wish list from a lot of people who have been on the sidelines for years.. to get a little bling, bling."
Yeah, right. That's what President Obama and his allies are trying to give the country: the "bling" of jobs, a stable power grid, a decent education, bridges that don't collapse, levees that don't fail, and a safety net to catch us as we fall with this crashing, underregulated economy. Here's what's at stake for me: the difference between a decent job in my field and economic ruin. I'm pretty sure John and I can't keep up house payments if we both end up working for minimum wage, or not at all. I know I've written about my job situation before, but here's an update, because things are only getting worse for us. This what I just wrote in response to one of those Obama "Share Your Story" emails:
Late in 2002, in the last month of my mother's life, I returned to college while working full time as a travel agency's bookkeeper/accountant. I got my accounting degree in early 2005, and left my job of 12 years to work for a mortgage firm as a staff accountant. In August 2007, the mortgage firm went bankrupt in the housing meltdown, even though it wasn't primarily a subprime lender. I learned about FMFC's collapse from a newspaper headline outside McDonald's on my way to work.After a temporary maternity relief job with a used clothing retail chain, I started work with a large RV dealership. But gas and diesel became too expensive to fill an RV's tank, and people don't buy $100k luxury items when their jobs are at risk. So I was laid off, and the dealership subsequently declared bankruptcy. A month later, the travel agency where I'd worked for so long closed its doors after 50 years in business.I had a 90-day temporary contract with a local aerospace firm last summer, but I've been completely out of work since early September. Actually, I did get a job briefly, doing taxes inside a check cashing store, with no rest room access. But I had no tax experience, and the CPA decided to pull out of that location after police spent half a day there. I had been employed for 29.5 hours.Now I'm working on a CPA review course, and watching job sites that have fewer relevant listings each week. That degree was supposed to make me more employable, but it's not longer working. Clearly, I'm neither lazy nor unreliable nor undereducated nor stupid, but there are no jobs for me. Unless something changes, my unemployment benefits are scheduled to run out in seven weeks, shortly after I turn 52 years old. Meanwhile, my husband just survived a major round of layoffs at his company, so our position is more precarious than it's been in decades. We refinanced our house in 2005, and have never been late on a payment. But that could change all too easily if John loses his job and I don't find one.I figure that here in Tucson, infrastructure investments mean construction and solar and education and maybe broadband. Such projects will need accountants. I haven't done governmental or construction accounting, but I can learn. And I'm ready to go on payroll accounting for new jobs in the private sector.Put me to work. Please. Or failing that, help me and my husband stay solvent until people start hiring again. If it comes to that, I'll work at some low-paying job until something better comes along. But it makes more sense to get the economy moving again, and open up jobs for people in the fields for which they are qualified.Thank you, President Obama, and all who are working with you to solve this terrible economic crisis. And shame on everyone who stands in your way due to cynical political calculations and disproved economic models. President Obama, Paul Krugman, Robert Reich et al. have it right. Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall.
Oh, and by the way, I had a cancer scare this past fall, and no health insurance to pay for tests. No cancer, but I have to figure out how to pay the last of the bills for that.
This is the world the obstructionists are ignoring, a world where formerly hardworking Americans are sidelined through no fault of their own. A capital gains tax cut will not get me a job or health care, or help me keep up the mortgage payments. The stimulus plan might. Even if it doesn't help me directly in the short run, I'm confident it will help us all over time. We need it, badly.
I'd write to my Senators, but I'm darn sure that neither McCain nor Kyl will listen. I only hope the rest of us can overcome the obstructionists, and get the economy moving again.
Karen
This is the sad reality of the state of Arizona Education, from preschool through the graduate level. The promotion of Ms. Napolitano is already greatly missed. Please share this 40 second clip with all people necessary. http://www.speakupnowaz.org Watch the clip, and then watch a second time and read the people who are pleading for help.
-A fellow educator and first time expecting parent
It does my heart good to say that our community meeting regarding health care reform was a wonderful success! This is the first time I have ever done something like this. I learned that people are passionate and hungry to be heard. We had 14 members participate, full of constructive ideas. It was difficult to keep things to an hour. It is clear that I need to make more of these happen. I received many phone calls and emails the two days after the event from people who could not attend but wished to give input and get involved. Participants of our meeting expressed a strong desire to band together and organize more of these forums, perhaps on a larger level. It is clear that people are ready to be heard and participate in formulating a plan. Thank you everyone, for standing up and taking responsibility for change!
I am posting my report to the Health Care Policy Transition Team, so anyone can see how this went and what we talked about:
January 1, 2009
To Tom Daschle, Secretary-designate of Health and Human Services and The Health Care Policy Transition Team,
Here is a summary of our group’s findings from our December 30th community meeting discussing problems within our health care system and how we might go about making positive changes under our coming administration.
We would like to sincerely thank you for the opportunity to add our voices as we tackle these problems together. Please know that the enthusiasm and passion for giving our input is large, and we are committed to helping you exact effective positive change in the future.
We focused on three main questions as a group:
1.) What is perceived as the biggest problem in the health care system?
2.) Sharing of personal experiences illustrating these problems, and
3.) How can public policy promote healthier lifestyles and preventative medicine?
#1). What do you perceive is the biggest problem in the health system?
Our group was in agreement that the biggest problem is our for-profit corporate health care insurance system. Individuals highlighted many salient points to illustrate this:
a) Our for-profit health insurance system results in lack of universal coverage in our country (with the number of uninsured children being of particular concern).
b) It creates a system where non-health care trained individuals are making bottom line decisions regarding access to testing and treatment.
c) It results in a poor and ineffective approach to preventative care by limiting access to health care execution and limiting time that health care providers are able to spend with their patients thereby eroding trust in the doctor-patient relationship.
d) For-profit insurance also provides inappropriate incentives, for example incentives reducing the time spent with the patient and incentives promoting utilization of prescription medication management for health problems that could be approached in a more preventative life-style/ education manner.
e) It causes severe systemic problems regarding unequal health care provider reimbursement, which leads to further inequity (i.e. some doctors choose not to see Medicare/Medicaid patients as a result).
Our group was in complete agreement that universal coverage and a single-payer system would go a long way towards ameliorating these primary problems.
Concerns were expressed from some participants regarding how a new system would be executed and regulated—specifically will there be adequate reimbursement to health care providers to facilitate universal acceptance of government insurance? Will we see similar problems develop as we have seen in the Medicare/Medicaid system where a financial burden is placed upon providers due to poor reimbursement forcing non-universal acceptance of this means of insurance? Will the quality of care be reduced as we enact a new more universal system with financial constraints? As a group, we felt that these concerns need to be clearly addressed as a single-payer or other universal coverage system is implemented…we did not feel that they are a valid argument to prevent implementation of this change.
#2.) Have you or your family members experienced difficulty paying medical bills?
a.) One participant shared that she was horrified to receive a $16,000 medical bill while still grieving the recent loss of her husband. Litigation ensued.
b.) Another pair of participants who work as Registered Nurses at our local Cancer Clinic shared their frustration that patients cannot afford their oral chemotherapeutic agents as insurance will only cover IV administration of chemotherapy (often the least cost-effective route). As a result, patients there who cannot pay out of pocket go without these life-saving or life-improving medications. These health care providers did not know how to explain this to their patients and felt frustrated and unable to help, rendered powerless by the system.
c.) One participant shared that he considers himself quite fortunate as he has had no major health issues yet and is uninsured. However he pointed out that he lives in a state of fear, knowing that should health care problems surface, it could lead to complete financial ruin and inability to obtain needed care. He also admitted that this results in his putting off prompt treatment of small medical issues as they arise.
d.) Yet another participant shared that her son pays so much for his insurance that it is a great burden financially, AND ironically he lacks coverage for his pre-existing condition of bladder cancer which is the most likely to arise as a major medical concern in his future.
#3.) How can public policy promote healthier lifestyles and preventative medicine?
Our group was in full agreement that implementing prevention and a healthier American lifestyle is KEY to reducing the rising cost of our health care. There was also firm agreement that this area needs massive improvement. Individuals highlighted the following points:
a) Universal Access to health care is a must to implement a healthy America focused on prevention. The uninsured currently have no effective means of obtaining preventative care.
b) There is a strong need for an increased number of small local primary care clinics to implement better prevention.
c) Implementing preventative care as a health care provider means having more time to spend with the patient and repairing the damaged provider-patient trust that currently exists in our system. Physicians and other practitioners are forced to rush through seeing their patients, prohibiting quality communication between provider and patient, prevention education of the patient or adequate time for the patient to bring up all concerns. Patients may no longer feel that their health care providers have their best interest at heart.
d) Incentives are needed to strongly encourage health care providers to focus on primary care (as opposed to existing incentives for treatment with medication, incentives to see largest number of patients in shortest time, etc).
e) Incentives are needed at a local level to promote healthy lifestyles (i.e. The Silver Sneakers Program for seniors which promotes health and fitness for the elderly).
f) Health Care Provider education focused upon prevention needs to be increased and the culture of medicine in our country needs to shift to this approach (less emphasis on pharmaceutical management, more emphasis on lifestyle management).
g) Financial incentives for employers are needed to promote prevention (i.e. Make it cost effective for employers to encourage sick days and days at home to care for sick children preventing spread of disease and resultant costs and decreased productivity).
h) Local access to health care providers needs to be considered (more local clinics and more transportation options to get there).
i) Increased transparency is needed in our health care system so that people are aware of their options for care and are also able to navigate the confusing process of clearing things through insurance, obtaining referrals, etc. This can be confusing to someone in good health with many resources…it is sometimes impossible for an ailing person with limited internet/telephone access to effectively navigate our current system and as a result they go untreated.
j) Consider a tax upon “junk food” as well as increased taxation on tobacco with these funds being directed at public health education and prevention.
k) An educator pointed out that the school needs to change from a place of academic only focus to a community center that fosters healthy living. He indicated a strong need for mandatory Physical Education and after school physical activities in all schools (funded by our government as “pay to play” models are failing). He referred to the large body of well documented studies that correlate obesity with decreased academic performance, depressed quality of life and decreased future success for our children. He suggested increased nutritional education in schools, evaluating schools not just upon academic performance but also level of health, and implementing more programs similar to the School Community Health program instituted by the Centers for Disease Control.
l.) Increase support for and utilization of local agriculture resulting in higher nutritional content of food, as well as environmental benefits (decreased use of fossil fuel transport of produce). Consider decreased government subsidy of corn and wheat agriculture and increased subsidy for more healthy alternatives.
m.) Government programs that provide very strong incentives for Primary Care Medical education and community service need to be increased and utilized (i.e. Loan forgiveness programs or scholarship programs for health care providers with attractive stipulations to practice at a local community level in primary care). While we discussed that these programs do already exist, we agreed that they are obviously too small, unattractive or being underutilized and not producing the desired effect.
These ideas are the result of a community discussion among 14 individuals from various walks of life and age groups. We limited our discussion to one hour. The potential for much more in depth discussion exists. Group members expressed wanting more opportunities like this to share their ideas and more community organization to band together in larger groups and communicate their wishes to legislators. We will be working on better community organization and providing more forums like this in the coming year.
Thank you again for this opportunity.
Sincerely,
Marjorie Alexander, meeting organizer
From left to right: Marjorie Alexander, Chet Gardiner, Mary Palma RN, Ann Dichov RN and Kristy Theiler (Tucson ACORN)
From left to right: Irma Perez (Tucson ACORN), Deborah Littman, Sol Littman
Marjorie Alexander next to meeting board
Hi all! I just got off the phone with a wonderful woman who is visiting from Canada...she will be attending our neighborhood meeting tomorrow night.
She wanted to hear more personal stories about this amazing grassroots movement for Obama, as in her country she feels people have a need to understand what this was like for each of us on a local level.
She will be returning to Canada January 3rd and would love to talk with some of us on the phone before then. She is happy to cater to your availability.
If you would like to talk about what this experience has been like for you on a personal and local level, feel free to email me (marjorie_alexander@yahoo.com) or call me (520-240-2978) so I can take your contact info down and connect her with you. She is a delightful person with a sincere desire to bring a better understanding of our Obama movement back to Canada! There is nothing more powerful than our individual stories, emotions and even how we have changed as this grassroots movement has found importance in our lives. Please share yourself and your amazing journey!
Peace,
Marjorie
President-Elect Obama and his team have asked us to gather in our communities and share our ideas, stories and feelings regarding changing our health care system for the better. We are holding a small gathering here in the Blenmann neighborhood in Tucson. Please consider coming out on Tuesday, December 30th if you would like to contribute. Our gathering should only last about an hour and you are welcome to talk to me more afterwards if you have more to share. I will be summarizing and submitting what is shared at our gathering to the Office of the President-Elect. Meetings like this are happening all over our Country up until December 31st. At that time, Barack's team will begin reviewing what America has shared.
During the election, we all held on to our beautiful passion for change and together made an amazing difference. But we all know that the real work is just beginning...we are needed more than ever right now to step up to the plate and take responsibility for what we want to happen next! Can we do this? Yes we can!
Tonight I send this intention out into our universe....a meditation, a prayer, a wish...whatever you want to call it--they are all the same thing to me. I wish for strength and angels to surround the Obama family, the incredible team Barack has assembled, and all the beautiful people connected to this website who are brave enough to believe in hope. I wish for us all to grow closer together and magnify our individual power. May we find strength in each other and build massive waves of positive change around us. May we be our most kind and beautiful selves and lead by a positive example and integrity, in the true spirit of Barack's values. We will bring so much light into the world together!
marjorie
I've written lots of stuff elesewhere since the election, but this specific piece is one that I feel I should post here. It is the text of the "Tell Us Your Story" response I sent to Change.gov just now:
Two years ago, I was doing pretty well as a staff accountant for a large mortgage company. In August 2007 that company folded overnight in the mortgage crisis. My next "permanent" job, for a large RV dealership, ended because nobody can afford to buy and fuel RVs anymore. Even the company I worked for before I got my accounting degree, Tucson's oldest travel agency, is out of business now.I've been unemployed since early September, and have had only one job interview since then. That's given me lots of time to volunteer for the Obama campaign. I did data entry, designed lots and lots of buttons, blogged on behalf of Barack Obama in several venues including Huffington Post, and even, despite a phobia about it, made some Get Out the Vote phone calls. I did all that because I genuinely believe in the principles and programs our new President-Elect stands for, help for the global economy and ordinary Americans, access to health insurance, a smarter, less belligerent foreign policy, inclusiveness instead of divisiveness, etc. Like much of the country, I was thrilled when the networks called the election for Barack Obama. I kissed my husband and hugged my dog, and was proud of the speech the President-Elect gave in Grant Park.One particular issue of the campaign became much more urgent for me tonight when my doctor called with some test results. There is a small chance that I have cancer, and I have no health insurance. If I find out that it is cancer, it instantly becomes a preexisting condition. Is it even possible to finance cancer surgery on credit cards? And if we do, how will we ever pay it off?This sort of thing should not happen here, or anywhere for that matter. I doubt that our new President will be able to do anything about health insurance in time to help me, but maybe I'll at least be able to get a job as the economy improves. And it's not all about me in any case. I believe that President Obama can work with Congress to significantly improve the lives of everyone, just be going forward with the policies he campaigned on, to the extent that they can be done on a realistic timetable. I urge everyone to set aside wrangling over whether we're a "center-right" nation or need to be more progressive, blah blah blah, and to support President Obama in his efforts to do exactly what he said he would do. That truly is the "change we need."Karen Funk Blocher
