More letters, more voices
We had two letter-writing parties in Asheville today and we had 41 letters written to federal lawmakers. A dozen more people took our “What you can do” flyer home and wrote letters there.
All in all, a productive day.
I don’t know what the letters said – we don’t read them.
One woman told me she was going to ask legislators to stop spending money — not what I would write, but that’s OK.
See, the reason we’re doing this is to get people to participate in government. That’s the only way democracy works.
Some people told me they thought doctors need oversight from someone other that medical societies made up of doctors. Others said hospitals should be paid set rates for each thing they do.
Some people think the government should pay for med school so doctors don’t need to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt once they get our of school.
There are as many ideas as there are people, I think. Some are bad and some are good, but we all have a voice in this country, and we need to use it.
When lawmakers hear what we think, they can take it into account. If they don’t hear from us, they WILL hear from big businesses, which spend billions of dollars to make their voices heard.
We don’t have the money to buy that kind of lobbying power, but we do have a collective voice, and we can shout down the lobbyists.
This is the time to be heard, and if you don’t write, call or e-mail your thoughts to your legislators, they’ll go with the voices they do hear.
We watched the PBS Frontline episode, “Sick Around the World,” which examines how health care is done in other capitalistic democracies around the world.
You can watch it online here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frol02p101&continuous=1
No system is perfect, and this documentary also shows the shortcomings of the different systems. For anyone interested in reforming our system, it’s a must-see.
Watch it and then write, call or e-mail.
Second annual Eat at Mike’s
Reserve now
Life o' Mike sponsors its second annual Eat at Mike's, an evening of good food prepared by local chefs, at Tingles Cafe in downtown Asheville. The event also features silent and live auctions with items from Highlands Brewing, artist Angela C. Alexander and more.
Tickets to the dinner are $25; $20 for children 3-12 and free for children under 3.
To reserve, e-mail lifeomike@gmail.com. For more information, call 828-243-6712.
Patient Pals & Family Friends
Life o' Mike has a new peer support program for people newly diagnosed with chronic or serious illness or with a new disability and their caregivers.
Patient Pals are people who have experience with various illnesses and disabilities, who can help someone newly diagnosed or with a new disability work through the fear, frustration, confusion and grief often experienced in the first few months.
Family Friends are there to help caregivers and other family members grow into their new role.
People with new illness or disability fare better when they have a role model -- someone who can help them negotiate their new path in life.
We need volunteers, who are asked to donate a minimum of one hour a week. Training is free and includes information on active listening, ways to help and when to know more help is needed.
And of course, we need funding.
To learn more, call Leslie Boyd at 828-243-6712 or e-mail lifeomike@gmail.com.
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