An old-fashioned letter-writing campaign
One non-violent action we can ALL take:
We KNOW that Congress is going to repeal the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). I have never understood why, except that it was an Obama idea and thus an affront for whatever reason.
I know a LOT of people who benefit from any number of provisions of the ACA, and who are far too likely to suffer if it is taken away. There are even more people I DON’T know that will be hurt by this action.
Frequently, we all talk about how clear it is that Congress is completely out-of-touch with We, The People.
So I thought, hey, here’s something we can do – an old fashioned LETTER WRITING campaign. Maybe if we inundate them with what WE want and need, maybe, just maybe, they will see that representing us should be a higher priority than it obviously is.
I have taken the liberty of writing the following letter. Feel free to take this and edit it as you see fit:
Dear (Congressman/woman)(Senator) *insert name here*,
I understand that you wish to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka Obamacare).
I recognize that the ACA is imperfect, but if you really, truly serve the people you claim to represent, how can you support taking away insurance from millions of Americans, many of whom are your constituents, without offering them an alternative? If you do so, are you instead offering us an affordable alternative that continues to ignore pre-existing conditions and provides care for everyone?
You have been elected to serve the people of your District, and beyond that to represent the United States of America. Taking away individual rights and denying your people their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness by making a necessity such as health care unreachable should seem counter to serving your country.
Please, if you truly care about the country and the people that you serve, do not simply repeal the ACA and leave millions suffering. Please serve in your position to help your people, and either give us something better or leave the ACA alone until such time as you come up with an alternative.
Please show your people that you serve them, and their interests. Without our health we have little else, so rather than eliminating something that helps people and betters the standing of our nation, keep it until you can change it for something better.
The people of the United States deserve decent, affordable health care, no matter their finances, gender or religious beliefs. Please consider the lives your vote to repeal the ACA could destroy before you vote to repeal it. Please consider how many people are struggling to make ends meet, how American was built on neighbor helping neighbor, and please do your part for the people you are supposed to serve, to help us all live better lives.
Thank you.
Respectfully,
A concerned constituent
We can’t just e mail this – we need to MAIL these. Not a few, a LOT. Like, LOTS, and LOTS, AND LOTS of letters. Pile this on and show them how their actions (and for that matter inactions) affect us all.
To that end, let me offer the following assistance:
Senators who voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act in January, 2017
Congressmen/Congresswomen who voted to repeal Obamacare in February, 2016:
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2016/roll053.xml
Because the above gives names but not their states, here’s how to find your member of the House of Representatives:
Wait a sec, you may be thinking. There was just an election. Aren’t at least SOME of these people gone? Most likely – SO – here’s the next Congress, according to Wikipedia (so could be somewhat inaccurate):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/115th_United_States_Congress
Wikipedia DOES offer links to all of the members of congress, but I think this site may be a tad easier for seeking who YOUR reps are:
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/take-action/contact-your-representative/
Additionally, the above site suggested how to address our Members of Congress:
For Senators
The Honorable (Full Name)
[Room #] [Building Name] Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
For Representatives
The Honorable (Full Name)
[Room #] [Building Name] House Office Building
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
When writing to the Chair of a Committee or the Speaker of the House, it is appropriate to begin letters with “Dear Mr./Madam Chairman/woman” or “Dear Mr./Madam Speaker.”
This may be crazy, but it is a non-violent, practical means to an end. E mails are easier to ignore than physical letters, so let’s inundate them with the message that they cannot just take away health insurance for MILLIONS without offering a comparable replacement.
Please share this with EVERYONE, and encourage everyone you know to either use my template above or write their own letter. I know this is hokey, but that makes it no less practical. Let’s all do it, ASAP. Tons and tons of letters. Maybe if they really SEE how many people this is important to, maybe they will reconsider if they are working FOR us, or AGAINST us.
Thank you.
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