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Tag Archives: Denver
Give Health Care to Firefighters Who Battle Wildfires …John Lauer, Denver, CO
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Give Health Care to Firefighters Who Battle Wildfires Started by: John Lauer, Denver, CO Right now, wildfires are raging in New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona. And more are sure to come. I’m a part of a hotshot crew of firefighters. We are on call to go anywhere, at any time to fight fires in our country. It’s intense work, but my crew is like my family and we are all committed to serving our communities. Because wildfire is more common from May to October, most of us are seasonally employed. More than 90% of us return year after year and we often work the equivalent of a full year in 6-7 months. Despite this — and despite putting our lives on the line every day — we still don’t have the opportunity to buy into a government health care plan even at the most basic level. This is because we are classified as temporary workers. I have been a wildland firefighter for 6 years and I still don’t have health insurance, but I’m one of the lucky ones. Just in my own hotshot crew, I’ve seen the damage and suffering this lack of coverage can produce. My godson, Rudy, was born prematurely. Rudy’s dad, a fellow firefighter, was stuck with $70,000 worth of hospital bills that he and his wife couldn’t pay back. All because the federal government won’t allow him to access health insurance. Another crew member’s child, who was born even more recently, required special attention in the hospital and his parents’ are now facing a $40,000 in medical bills. Wildland firefighters face enormous risks in order to serve and protect our communities. In the past 12 years, 179 wildland firefighters have been killed in the line of duty, and the conditions of the firefighting environment have been linked to cancer and permanent lung damage. We want federal legislation that gives us that option, but we know that Congress can be slow moving. That’s why we are asking President Obama to extend health coverage benefits to seasonal wildland firefighters. Baby Rudy doesn’t deserve to be born into debt — his father is a hero. Click here to sign my petition to make sure firefighters have health care. |
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FYI: laws are created and passed … by Congress
Jim Messina: One Million Person-to-Person Conversations – Obama For America
Something special happened in Colorado a few days ago: One of our volunteers called up an ’08 supporter in Denver, and they had the millionth conversation of this campaign.
The person on the other end of the line had never volunteered before. But as a result of this call, he decided to attend an event in his area to connect with other volunteers in his community. Over the next 12 months, he could start dozens, maybe hundreds, more one-on-one conversations with voters. And they’ll start conversations of their own.
That will all have started with this one conversation. This is how we build this campaign.
Messina recorded a message reporting back on what this means, and why our opponents won’t have this kind of grassroots enthusiasm. You’re going to want to take a look at this one.
While we are all excited about this 1 million milestone, right now, we’re training our eyes on the next million conversations.
Some of these conversations will be with supporters who have always believed in the President. Others might be with folks who haven’t engaged with us for a while. It’s on all of us to reach out to these people — and you don’t have to wait for a phone bank or a canvass to do it. You can start making calls right now.
When I think about 1 million conversations, I can’t help but think back to March 2007, when I began organizing for then-Senator Obama’s campaign.
Back then, a lot of people seemed to think that winning a presidential campaign always came down to big-dollar donations and big-name endorsements, period. They counted out our style of grassroots organizing — said it wouldn’t get people to the polls.
We didn’t listen to them. We built our organization person by person, one conversation at a time — and that strategy didn’t just get us votes. It was how we won in key states around the country, and how we elected this president.
We’ve got to do that again. Because this time around, the stakes are even higher, and there are still just as many folks on the other side who don’t believe in grassroots organizing. They’re counting you out right now. They think you can’t — or won’t — take individual action to help build this organization.
You can start proving them wrong with the conversations you’re about to have.
Watch Messina’s message, then commit to volunteer in the months ahead, and start some conversations of your own:
http://my.barackobama.com/1-Million-Conversations
Thanks for everything you’ve done — and everything you’re about to do.
– Jeremy
Jeremy Bird
National Field Director
Obama for America
Be a Seed for Change 
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