National upcoming day of action for single-payer health care!

May 30th Day of Action

Local Demonstrations and Rallies

Sponsored by:

The Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Healthcare
HEALTHCARE-NOW!
SinglePayer.com (CNA/National Nurses Organizing Committee)
Physicians for a National Health Program
Americans for Democratic Action
1payer.net

Start organizing & publicizing your local event now! Find out if one has been started, and if not, get your permit. It's a Saturday, so make it known that the event is family-friendly. Then talk it up w/ everyone you even think might be interested, and notify and get support from all local organizations and institutions of worship who you think may be supportive. Have your teenager canvass for storefronts and bulletin boards for places to post leaflets. You'll be surprised what you can achieve given the level of support on this issue. Don't worry; it's not brain surgery.

In East Tennessee and southwest Virginia Profit Care comes ahead of Patient Care. http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=62

Essential-- ASAP, inform the HEALTHCARE-NOW website so they can list your event, and put notices in local papers and shoppers. A few days before the 30th, when everything is firmed up, notify the media--print, radio, local TV or cable news, and appropriate blogs.

Optional--1)see if PNHP can dig you up a local speaker (they have a speakers bureau), or find one from a local organization, and get a small loudspeaker system; 2)offer spots for lit and sign-up tables on your site to groups working on single-payer; 3)find an artsy person to make a couple of signs and have them commercially reproduced for sale or free distribution to participants (depending on finances); 4)issue a press release the morning of the event on the reason for the demo including quotes from leaders of participating groups and articulate members of the general public; 4)create chants and/or topical songs sung to familiar melodies and run off copies of lyrics for participants.

And Have Fun.

Related news: It seems a leader of the lobbying arm of the AFL-CIO was quoted as supporting single-payer: http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/may/single_payer_system_.php

The place that this will be fought out is in the Senate, and the time to apply pressure is now. Not since '93 has such an opportunity come about, and who knows when we'll get another chance! Ideally, all DU'ers should be calling their Senators and saying they want this!

Speaking up now in large numbers can only help. If enough of us raise a stink about this, maybe they'll be less prone to stick us with more of the same (more of the for-profit health insurance scam) or a hugely watered-down public option.

We need everyone who cares about their right to health care to turn out for this! No excuses!