I’m 23 years old, uninsured, work for a non-profit, and needless to say, I‘m on a tight budget. Despite those obstacles, I have just sent a very hard earned $50 to two endangered Democrats who voted for health care reform this past Saturday. As someone who has a personal stake in seeing health care reform pass, I think it is absolutely imperative that we let Democrats in the Senate know that there are advantages to doing the right thing.
In addition to my $50 donation, and in what I’m calling "The Peanut Butter and Jelly Challenge", I am pledging to forgo my food and entertainment budget for one week if you can help me raise another $5,000 for these candidates. Last week I spent $162 going out with my friends, ordering pizzas, and indulging in a Saturday latte. This week I am willing to eat nothing but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and send $162 to two endangered Democrats who supported us on health care reform. Please help me make my goal by pledging your own donation:
http://www.actblue.com/...
http://www.actblue.com/...
My family and I have always been blessed. I went to the best schools, I had the latest toys growing up, and I was lucky enough to get a full-ride scholarship to college. Despite my privileged upbringing, I find myself in the position of being a young person with no health insurance. I like to think I am pretty healthy, but I recently discovered how awful it feels when having to choose between going to the doctor’s office or staying home to save a paycheck from disappearing. A few months ago I started having painful stomach aches on a daily basis. Instead of going to the doctor's office I tried to wait it out not wanting to miss a rent payment. Things of course got worse and I eventually headed to the the nearest clinic. Yet, even as the doctor was prescribing medication that was guaranteed to make the pain go away I couldn’t help but get a very different kind of stomach ache - the kind you get when you wonder if your debit card will ring "approved" on the way out.
Those experiences have led me to become a fierce advocate and activist for health care reform. In fact, here is a picture of me canvassing on health care reform this weekend:
I love to canvass, because it gives me a chance to meet my neighbors and to really talk to people about the issues. But, what I’m learning is that canvassing is simply not enough and in a business where money talks, I have very little. What I do have is a love for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a hope that my friends on Daily Kos can help me make a huge impact on health care reform. Please help me make my $5,000 goal. It only takes 100 of us giving $50 to make this happen. Perhaps you can have your own peanut butter and jelly sandwich week to make it work...
http://www.actblue.com/...
http://www.actblue.com/...
http://www.actblue.com/...