Ok, the Senate committees have now voted on their versions of health care reform. We played some part so far by electing a President, Senators, and Representatives who made health care reform a priority. We have also voiced our concerns online, by phone, letters, and in person. But NOW we MUST show that the final bill represents the concerns and priorities of a majority of Americans, not lobbyists or Senators from states with small populations.
So let's set a date and all meet in D.C. Over the past five years we have use the power of the internet to make a real difference in the world. We are one of the reasons that the President of the United States won the Nobel Peace Prize. Now we can show that we can get real change NOW.
Any ideas on a date? How we can keep this going on other sites? What we need to carry this out?
Maybe I watched too many Frank Capra movies and listened to too many Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speeches. Maybe we can't have any say. Maybe we can only hope that people like Senators Schumer and Leahy can carry out our wishes. Maybe this diary will disappear into cyberspace in 30 minutes. Maybe I should give up. But then I hear the story of a high school friend I had dinner with on Saturday, the first time I saw her in 35 years. She and her husband run their own management training business. They pay $31,000 a year for health insurance! He has a chronic condition that requires a shot every five weeks in the hospital. The drug costs $2,100 per treatment. The hospital charges $6,000! Maybe I should give up but then I talk with people who feel the same way I do. Maybe we all need to make our voices heard above the lobbyists and media pundits.
Maybe WE CAN all meet in our nations capitol and demand the change we voted for!