Actions we can take to protect our access to health care

No - I did not get the email to respond.....

I also signed and verified by email and shared it on FB with people who also signed and the number never changed. Probably a glitch...but maybe not.

Well, I'm a Democrat and I support nem's petition. Most of the petitions I sign, literally every day, have to do with animal rights, but I will sign political ones, if I believe they are important. Happy that we both support the ACA! There is common ground!

Madonna doesn't speak for me. I speak for me.

I don't think Madonna spoke for me any more than many conservatives think David Duke spoke for them (when he spoke for Trump)

I had this poem on my wall in my 30's and 40's... and now that I'm old AND a breast cancer patient, I relate to it even MORE!

I don't give a darn if the government wants to track me...

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me,
And I shall spend my pension
on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals,
and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired,
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells,
And run my stick along the public railings,
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens,
And learn to spit.

I think the march and the sheer numbers of people was effective. Would another march be helpful? I also wear my pink hat around town, just doing errands I like the idea of a visual symbol.

My neighbor just said Seattle is planning monthly marches.

This info is from a friend who works in Washington D.C. I hope it helps:

1. DO NOT BOTHER WITH ONLINE PETITIONS (which are mostly used for list-building by organizations) OR EMAILING. The best way to get your congressperson to pay attention is to GET FACE TIME. If they hold Town Halls, GO TO THEM. Go to their local offices also. If you're in DC, find a way to go to an event of theirs. Go to the "mobile offices" that their staff hold periodically. All this information is available on each congressperson's website. And when you go, ASK QUESTIONS. LOTS OF THEM. And push for answers. The more vocal and present you can be at these, the better.

2. In-person events don't happen every day, so the absolute most important second thing you can do is CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES, EVERY DAY IF POSSIBLE.
Plan to make 6 calls a day: 4 to your two Senators (DC and local offices), 2 to your Representative (DC and local office).
The staffer was very clear that ANY SORT OF ONLINE CONTACT BASICALLY GETS IGNORED LIKE SPAM. Even letters pretty much get thrown in the trash, unless you have a particularly strong emotional story. But EVEN THEN, the time spent crafting the letter is better spent making calls. Calls are what all the congresspeople pay attention to.
EVERY SINGLE DAY the Senior Staff and the Senator get a report of the THREE MOST-CALLED ABOUT TOPICS that day at both their DC and local offices !!! AND EXACTLY HOW MANY PEOPLE SAID WHAT ABOUT EACH TOPIC. So ...
A) When you call the DC office: Ask for the Staff member in charge of whatever you're calling about ("Hi, I'd like to speak with the staffer in charge of Healthcare, please"). Local offices won't always have specific ones, but they might. If you get transferred to that person, awesome. If you don't, that's ok - ask for their name, and then just keep talking to whoever answered the phone. DON'T LEAVE A MESSAGE (unless the office doesn't pick up at all) It's far better to talk to the staffer who first answered than leave a message for the specific staffer in charge of your topic.
Calls are sorted by zip code and area code, so GIVE THEM YOUR ZIP CODE. They won't always ask for it, but make sure you give it to them, so they can mark it down. Extra points if you live in a zip code that traditionally votes for them, since they'll want to make sure they get/keep your vote.
C) If you can make it personal, make it personal. "I voted for you in the last election and I'm worried/happy/whatever" or "I'm a teacher, and I am appalled by whatever," or "as a single mother" or "as a white, middle class woman," or whatever.
D) Pick 1-2 specific things per day to focus on. Don't go down a whole list - they're figuring out what 1-2 topics to mark you down for on their lists. So, focus on 1-2 per day. Ideally something that will be voted on/taken up in the next few days, but it doesn't really matter - even if there's not a vote coming up in the next week, call anyway. It's important that they just keep getting calls.
E) Be clear on what you want - "I'm disappointed that the Senator..." or "I want to thank the Senator for their vote on..." or "I want the Senator to know that voting in _____ way is the wrong decision for our state because..." Don't leave any ambiguity.
F) They may get to know your voice/get sick of you - it doesn't matter. The people answering the phones generally turn over every 6 weeks anyway, so even if they're really sick of you, they'll be gone in 6 weeks.
IF YOU FEEL AWKWARD/HATE BEING ON THE PHONE (which is a lot of people) don't worry about it. There are a bunch of scripts on issues floating around online these days. Work from the ones that suit your issues. After a few days of calling, it starts to feel a lot more natural.
TO STREAMLINE THE PROCESS, put the 6 numbers in your phone (all under P – Politician. An example is McCaskill MO, Politician McCaskill DC, Politician Blunt MO, etc...). This makes it really easy to click down the list each day.

While I agree that personal contact with your representatives and senators is important, the "Improved Medicare for All" petition is still on the White House home page and needs additional signatures desparately. It currently has only 317 signatures. Another 99,683 are needed before February 19th.

The Petition can be read (and hopefully signed!) "here. "

It still is on the web, and can still be signed.

Hope to see that total reached soon enough.

LisaAlissa

There were rallies that strictly focused on retaining the ACA five days before the inauguration took place. Bernie Sanders was at one of those rallies. I am sure there was one in the Philadelphia area too. I know there was one in Chicago that had a large turnout.