by D’Anthony Gildon—Missouri
I went to get support from a resident and he told me he served the country for 30 years in the Navy. He said, “Since you’re out here supporting our country I can support Working America.”
Tags: membership, veterans
by Tommy Todd—Missouri
I met a woman while knocking on doors in Kansas City tonight. Walking up to her door, I saw a “for sale” sign in their yard. When she came to the door, I noticed scissors in her hand, but didn’t think much of it. I started talking about jobs leaving the country when she stopped me, and told me that her husband had recently been laid off, which was why they were selling their home. I had actually knocked on the door as she was cutting up all of her credit cards.
She gladly signed up, and thanked me for the hard work we are doing.
Tags: layoffs, membership, outsourcing
by Maranda Stebbins—Missouri
I met an elderly man last night who was enjoying the fresh air through his screen door. He invited me to step inside because it was difficult for him to move around. As I began my rap, he started to look at me a bit suspiciously. After I handed him my clipboard and the pen, he asked me if I thought this would do any good. Of course I said I absolutely thought so—that it was the very reason we do this work. He told me he was no Spring chicken, and that he had seen how things go in this country, and told me it is only getting worse.
He shared with me that he is a cancer patient on social security, and his monthly charges for health care keep rising. Additionally he has one prescription that costs him over $100 every month. He then told me that he still has debt from the first round of chemotherapy treatments, when he was insured through his wife through her job at a major retailer. Under the insurance plan he racked up over $12,000 for chemo, and $24,000 for surgery. We all know that kind of money to someone with a retail paycheck is—to say the least—a lot.
This man was skeptical of Working America at first, but as he went on with his story and personal political opinions, it was obvious to me that he was very passionate about the issues that we fight for. When I left, he had not only signed on as a dues-paying member, but also expressed interest in getting more involved.
Tags: Health Care, insurance, membership, seniors
by Don Pesek—Missouri
While canvassing last week, I ran across several men who worked for a food processing company. They had been laid off on the same day after a combined century of service. They were escorted out of the plant by armed security. One man said it was the only job he had ever had. They were given no severance package or even a letter of appreciation. Their jobs had been outsourced and they felt they were being treated like criminals because the company had security to make sure they left.
Tags: Jobs, outsourcing
by Matthew Gilmore—Missouri
I met a man in Gladstone, Missouri who told me about how he served in the U.S. Marine Corps but is now a teacher. He told me that he, his wife and daughter are all covered under his employer’s health insurance, but that if he lost the insurance only he would continue to be covered by the government. He was worried that if something happened his wife and daughter would go without.
Tags: Health Care, insurance, veterans
by LaNeisha Ellis—Missouri
I remember a few weeks ago I was canvassing in St. Joseph, Missouri and a woman who was diabetic was in need of her insulin shot. She told me that her son ran off with her money and he was the only person who could give her the shot. There really wasn’t too much I could do but talk to her, but that helped.
Tags: Health Care
by Matthew Hall—Missouri
The other day I experienced an unexpected surprise on turf.
I was telling a gentleman about how 48 million Americans have no health care when he stops me and says, “Yeah, but most of them are young and don’t want health care.” This sent a flag up in my head because most people that would think he wasn’t a person who would support the issues we support. But I looked him straight in the eye anyway and said to him, “Sir I can tell you from talking to people at their doors, that is not quite true.”
He looked me over and after a dramatic pause said, “maybe you are right.” I then explained about becoming a member of Working America and the strength in numbers power it give to working people to make change. He stopped me after this and said, “yeah, but it will not do any good. The politicians will not listen.” I firmly told him, “Sir, when we get enough people they are going to have to listen.”
We looked at each other for a minute once again, then he finally said to me “maybe you are right.” He joined as a member right there and gave a voluntary dues payment.
It was inspiring to me that I found one of my biggest supporters of the night in someone that at first sight didn’t appear to be interested in what I had to say.
Tags: Health Care, membership
by Gregory Jacobs—Missouri
My post tonight is more about the general acceptance of the working families platform we are out campaigning on. I have been getting wide acceptance in the form of members joining up and contributing voluntary dues payments. Overall I am getting a lot of support and what is an out call for change in the American economic and political landscape!
Tags: membership
by Matt Hall—Missouri
I was canvassing the other day when I came across a older lady that was sitting on her front porch. She was hooked up to a oxygen tank. When I started to talk to her about the issue of health care she started to open up about what has been happening to her. She told me that she has just been kicked off of Medicaid because her husband makes too much money. She then went on to tell me how her husband was just getting fired from his job because of medical reasons. So in the end, they could get health care because of his job and he couldn’t keep his job because of health care. I don’t get how we could let that happen.
Tags: Health Care
