We're now in beautiful Atlantic, Iowa - otherwise known as the "Coca Cola Capital of Iowa" because of the local privately-owned bottling plant that is here in town.
Coca Cola Days are Sept. 21-23.
The local folks set up a potluck here at the Cass County Fairgrounds just outside the back show barn where Barack is speaking. And the spread wouldn't be complete without some Floats for Change!
Michelle introduced Barack again, as she did in Council Bluffs earlier today.
Barack spoke for only a short period of time before diving into questions. At some recent events, he's been spending less time on formal remarks and more time taking questions.
As he often says, Iowans like to lift the hood, kick the tires and take the candidates out for a test drive. So it's important that he spend more time on the issues they want to raise.
One question raised here was about the nursing shortage. Barack talked about the need that has arisen to bring in nurses from overseas because there so few people entering the field. And the shortage will only intensify as baby boomers retire and the need for health care increases.
To address the situation, Barack said a big thing that can happen is that nurses should unionize - it's a quality of life thing. Nurses are working long hours, and are able to spend less and less time with patients.
It's similar to the problem we're facing with teachers - an issue that was also raised today. We need to increase pay for teachers and provide incentives to enter the profession, like forgiving college debt.
Thanks for staying with us on the Road to Change! Now it's off to the Fair!
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