This week at a door I met a single mother of three who was working three jobs to get by. She said she slept an average of three to four hours a night. She said that she had gotten a promotion recently at one of her jobs but because she was salary she was not eligible for overtime. Therefore even though she had more responsibility & was working a great deal more she was actually making far less per hour than she had been previously.

Yesterday in Mt. Healthy I walked up to three people talking by their cars. I told them about Ohio’s job loss, and they could relate. They all signed up as members and signed EFCA postcards. When it came for dues they all said they wished they could but they had no money on them at that time. I thanked them for their support and made my way back to the rest of my call-backs. After 5-7 minutes one of the guys drove to find me with a dues payment for him and both of his friends.

I was canvassing in the area of Lakewood. I had been having a rough night because I kept running into very negative people. However I went up to a door and knocked, and this really nice lady answered the door. I gave her my rap and she seemed very interested. What amazed me most was her three kids who all signed the band-aid petition. But what really got me was their involvement. As I asked what issues mattered most to them, her daughter–who must have only been thirteen if that–started to comment on how important good jobs were. The other two younger kids also gave their input on the economy and health care. I thought to myself: “Maybe there is hope for the younger generation!”

While canvassing, I signed up a new member for Working America who is passionate about health care reform in this country. She was diagnosed several years ago with a serious autoimmune disease. She was forced to take medical retirement from a good job in California and to move to Colorado to be near family members to assist her with her physical needs. Her latest hospital bill was $95,000 dollars and she may have to file bankruptcy as a result. She had a very compelling story and wants to help out!

I talked to a woman in Akron area, who is retired from a company who has sold out to another company who is outsourcing. The way they are doing it is that if a current employee refuses to train people from India they are bringing in they will be fired no questions asked. They are also getting rid of a few employees at a time instead of all at once. This isn’t all. All former employee’s that are retired are losing their health care insurance starting jan 09.

One woman was outraged at the rising price of gas. “I was just talking about this!” she told me. She reminded me that, “if this was the 70’s, we’d be out protesting and demonstrating with signs in hand!”.
I let her know that her mentality was exactly the reason that I was out in the community building up that support. I realized the universality of the Working America message and the outrage of average Americans at the state of the economy. She and I both knew that if our politicians maintained the status quo, people would stand up and fight back, especially with their ballots at the polls.

I was canvassing in Alburtis, PA when a woman answered the door. I had been to her house earlier and met her son. I told her we were fighting job outsourcing. She said, “I know. My husband was one of them.” She told me how her husband was working and that shortly after 9-11-2001, he lost his job because of outsourcing. “Wow. That must have been a hard time for your family,” I said. “Yeah, she replied, it was.”

I came to the door of a soon-to-be-member and met an elderly couple. They were bedding in a cluttered living room with most necessities at arm’s length. The husband informed me that they were ineligible for any form of government assistance due to bureaucratic red-tape. He was in good humor and described their situation as their “nursing home.” He confided in me his concern for their welfare and being unable to provide transportation for his wife’s doctor’s appointments. He is afraid he might fall while assisting her to his car.

Today I had the distinct pleasure of meeting a wonderful couple. He works in construction and his wife is a hair-stylist. Their passion for our cause is so profound and we talked for at least 10 minutes. They are struggling as many people that I have come across in this line of work. They asked me to sit with them, gave me some bottled water and paid their dues as well. It was a fruitful endeavor as I also signed up three other people that were visiting them. Meeting people like these helped make our mission worthwhile and meaningful.

Yesterday while canvassing, I met a woman outside her home who was nothing short of amazing. I approached her and gave my intro and she immediately was hooked on the idea of Working America. While giving answers to question after question as she filled out my clipboard, the subject of the voluntary dues finally came up. She said she had no cash on her, however she was headed to the grocery store. She then told me if I met her in twenty minutes she would give me five dollars. I skeptically agreed and canvassed for twenty minutes and met her in the exact same spot and she gladly handed me a five dollar bill.

During my first few days of canvassing, a lady interrupted my introduction, grabbed my clipboard and said emphatically, “That’s enough! Say no more!” She grabbed my clipboard, signed up as a dues-paying member, and also had her husband sign one of the band-aids for health care reform. Her enthusiastic attitude was a big confidence boost for a new canvasser just starting out.

I knocked on a senior’s door. She was a nice older woman. I told her who I was and with and what we were doing–fighting to lower the costs of health care.

She told me she had never had health insurance until she was 65 years old, and she said it was hard because she’s on a fixed income. I assured her that what we’re fighting for was going to pay off and she became a dues-paying member and she brightened my day and my confidence.

I canvassed a great lady who had worked for a local hospital for 30 years. When she got ill and has to take off a few months of work, she was denied Family Medical Leave. Needless to say she will lose her job, her pension, health care and she’s sick. Why is this happening in a country that is so rich that we can build bridges and buildings in other countries? We need to clean our own backyard before we can clean someone else’s!

I signed up a member after talking with her about health care. She told me that her son had Parkinson’s disease. She found out a friend of hers was in the same situation. They decided they would feel better if they talked about it over coffee.

We both cried. I, because I was so moved and she because she was impressed by what Working America was all about and because we care enough to do what we do everyday.

I was canvassing in Wapakeneton, Ohio, and ran in to a teacher. I gave him my rap and he was very excited that I had stopped by his doorstep. He was having trouble paying his medical bills so he became a member and he jumped up for joy as I assured him we’re joining together to fight for affordable health care, and we plan to win. Then he paid the voluntary dues and I thanked him for his support and contribution. He thanked me. I told him it was my pleasure to inform him about what’s going on in the world.