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.
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
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!
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/politics/265275
I have to tell you, today I voted for Barack, and I cried. After I wrote this, I remembered that there was a wonderful video during the primaries, and I really did not feel the intensity of it until I voted in the general...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBVKsartJFs At the U of A Student Union, I was just a few blocks from where I was when I heard that Dr. King was assasinated, and less then that far away from where I was when I heard that Bobby Kennedy was assasinated. The lifelong friend I was with on both of those days (and actually on the day we got the news about JFK), has since died of breast cancer. We had our children, passed middle age, and I wish she, and my Nana, who took me to my first civil rights march in Oakland, could be here now, and go with me to the polls. There, at the Union, I was right on the Mall where I helped plant 444 crosses for Arizonans killed the Viet Nam war, including several classmates. While walking back to work, I passed a corner where two ROTC students in uniform had tried to take a box of black armbands from me, that I was taking to my department faculty for that Viet Nam moritorium day observance. One of our linebackers, "Bad Brad" who was in my English class, appeared suddenly, put his massive hand on my shoulder, and asked "Do you have a problem with my little friend here?' Brad was as tall as a tree, well over 300 pounds, and very black. Needless to say, these two little bullies scurried back into whatever rat-hole they had crawled out of to shove me up against the wall. I moved back here in 2000. I work for right on the UofA campus. I am so blessed to be able to vote for Barack in a place where I was such an young college student activist, and to walk by these places that are connected to that past. I know Barack is not the perfect progressive candidate, but I believe that he can bring us together, and heal many of the ancient wounds. The odd thing is, that McCain missed all of these years of the American Experience. I had friends and family members on the ground and at risk during the entire Viet Nam war, and prayed for there safe return every day. But two, two-year, tours were the max. John was in the hell-whole when Dr. King and Bobby were assasinated. He missed, through no fault of his own, the terrible shootings at Kent State, the Democratic Convention Riots, watergate and the impeachment hearings - he has failed to connect, and possibly this has a lot to do with it... I also realized, when he seemed so unpreturbed by the horrible crowd behavior at the Palin rallys that he missed the horrible Wallace campaign, and all of the ugliness of those years. He just doesn't get it, because he missed the experience. Anyhow, I started this to tell you how I cried. I have been off-line since just after the primaries, unless I go by a café, or stay late at work...and I can't deal with the negativity of the dem HQ crowds here, as I am more like my candidate in terms of knowing that inclusion and reaching out are only harder after all this division has become entrenched. I hope all the wonderful bloggers that I spent most of last winter, spring, and summer with are well, and I appreciate all you have done. I would like to see a landslide! Every few decades, it seems as though we check into recovery with a democratic slate, and everything gets balanced back, we DO redistribute and life gets better... Presidents FDR, Kennedy, Clinton...and then we always go back to the republican addiction to power and greed, until we get so sick, and have to go back to rehab again.... Having watched this silly cycle for more than half a century I pray that we can cross back to being a great nation again, and finally kick the colonial attitude, and all this false pride that just gets us in trouble. Just to rekindle the hope, and keep us all energized over the next few days, one of my favorite campaign videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBk32JsV9l8
Barack, YES WE CAN! And we all need to, and will take up our part in rebuilding this great nation...
Obama just seemed genuine and caring, while McCain came off as petty and desperate! His disdain for the candidate leading in every credible poll was most evident when he discussed a Bush/Cheney-sponsored energy bill. "You know who voted for it? You might never know. That one. You know who voted against it? Me."
Is he so senile in his old age that he perhaps forgot Barack Obama's name? Maybe he's so used to referring to Obama as something less than acceptable for network television that he couldn't recall Obama's real name! Personally, I like to think that he really did just misspeak. What he REALLY meant to call Obama was "THE ONE," and he accidentally fumbled his words (as he did all night) when calling him "that one!"
Who's with me on this? :)
Republicans are making the recession worse.
Republicans deregulated the financial and mortgage industry, causing the sub-prime crisis we have, causing the recession we are in, causing the liquidity crisis we are experiencing now, which will cause the recession we are in to worsen.
Now they are playing politics with Treasury Secretary Paulsen’s bill.
If this bill fails, our economy will stall, the dollar will drop, interest rates will raise, inflation will raise, people will lose their jobs, people will lose their homes, and our recession will worsen.
Call your representatives and tell them to vote for the bill.
Thanks so much for your time.
Paul Warnow
Progressive-Alliance.org
paul@progressive-alliance.org
My fellow Obama Supporters:
What if the Gifford's and Grijalva campaigns unite with Democratic AZ Governor Janet Napolitano's office and Tucson for Obama's thousands of petitioners in inviting Presidential candidate Barack Obama to Tucson and have a great show of party unity here in Arizona. Michelle Crow is Congressman Grijalva's campaign manager can be reached at michelle@grijalvaforcongress.com . Zachary is Congresswoman Giffords campaign manager and can be reached at zach@giffordsforcongress.com. The fact of the matter is party unity encourages voters. And I believe this would be a very encouraging event. I look forward to hearing and seeing what both of you come up with.
I believe Senator Barack Obama must visit the people of Tucson, Arizona who support him for the Presidency. And my associates and I are working to garner a petition of five- thousand names directed to Senator Barack Obama inviting him to Tucson, Arizona before the November 4th election.
I believe that when one is nominated to represent a political party for the position of President of the United Stated and he or she has vast support within his or her opponents home state, that nominee has a duty to his or her own political party to travel to and visit with the people of his or her opponent’s home state to see and hear them and understand they’re discontent with his or her opponent’s policies, and illuminate the statewide issues of discontent to the nation.
In this case, the Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama has enormous support for the Presidency by the people of Southern Arizona especially in Tucson, AZ (which has a population of over one-million people) and is located in his opponent Senator John McCain’s home state of Arizona.
My fellow Arizonans, let us work zealously for a five thousand strong petition. This petition represents a collective invitation to Presidential hopeful, Senator Barack Obama to visit the great number of his supporters here in Tucson, Arizona.
Before Election Day let us demonstrate to the independents in swing states that Senator McCain is not the people’s candidate here in Arizona, and influence them to support our candidate Senator Barack Obama for President. I’ve talked with Arizona representative Gabrielle Gifford’s and she has made it clear that she has been calling on Barack Obama to visit us in Tucson and indicated to me she would be happy to share an event with Senator Obama. According to her, the only problem is he feels “discouraged” to visit us here. I’m sure congressman Grijalva and Governor of Arizona Janet Napolitano as well as all other Arizonan city, state and federal publicly elected officials will be honored to be in attendance and show the nation we that the people are united in the concerted effort to elect democratic candidates across the board and especially to our congressional and the executive branches of our federal government this November 4th 2008.
All in all, let us unite to prove to Barack Obama and the nation that Arizonan’s strongly support his Presidential campaign and elect him to the office of President of the United States.
If you have questions or comments please contact me at benjaminbosley@gmail.com.
Benjamin Bosley
Tucson For Obama
Barack has the concrete program to meet the needs of most voters as we lose our homes and our jobs and can't afford to buy gas or groceries in the advancing economic depression. He just needs to clarify exactly what it is.
As our next president, Barack needs to use the "D" depression word, so that we can prepare for it together - and so that he doesn't get blamed for an economic crisis that he had nothing to do with creating, but that has its roots in the evolution of the world economic cycle.
I suggest he pick four of his most important policy changes and highlight them for voters by assigning the four people that he would put in place in his administration to help the American people deal with these crisis in our lives.
For example, he could assign one defender to help homeowners who are about to lose their homes because of predatory home mortgages find ways to refinance with reasonable terms through FHA loans.
He could propose legislation in the Senate to extend jobless benefits by another 6 months and propose a massive civil works project to employ our unemployed and under-employed repairing our crumbling infrastructure. How many more bridges need to fall down before the government takes an active role in protecting us?
He could propose legislation in the Senate to nurture sustainable agriculture so that we can grow and buy food that comes from close to home. Every school in America could have its own garden and so could every government office! We need someone competent in charge of this program. We can feed ourselves good food that doesn't cost ourselves and our planet our future to transport.
Finally, he needs to make clear his commitment to working with intelligent and forceful women who rely on their hard work and compassion instead of their resentment and sarcasm to lead when he picks the people to present to the voters to lead the efforts to confront these challenges in the next eight weeks, in the transition to his presidency and when he is in office!
And one last note, we don't need to refight the war that the Republican candidate was involved in, but it was an unjust, illegal and immoral war!This doesn't justify torture of prisoners of war by the Vietnamese - but who just voted to continue to torture American held prisoners?
