Thu, 04/02/2009 - 1:15am — hipparchia
- You can write a letter to the editor of your local paper. These are usually short, about 150 words, and often, papers will only accept LTEs if they're in response to a specific article that appeared recently in the paper.
- You can write an Op-Ed. This is like an LTE, but longer, 500-700 words, sometimes longer, and doesn't necessarily have to be 'on topic'.
- The LA Times has an online Op-Ed section that they call Blowback. I haven't looked to see if other papers are soliciting online content, but check yours.
- There's always, call, write, fax, email your Congresscritters and Senators, of course. And the White House. Tell them you want HR 676!
- Talk to your friends, family, neighbors. Ask them to call, write, fax, email their Congresscritters and Senators and the White House and say they want HR 676.
- You can email the Senate HELP [Health, Education, Labor and Pensions] Committee. Tell them you want single payer.
- Send an email to Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House.
- There doesn't seem to be a place on Howard Dean's new petition site where he asks you to support a public option [bah] to write back and ask him to support single payer, but DFA has place to tell them what your most important issues are [yay!]
- If you haven't already done so, sign the single payer petition at Democrats.com.
- If you don't like the Democrats.com petition, you can always sign the Healthcare not Warfare petition at Progressive Democrats of America.
- Speaking of PDA, they've got a terrific leaflet on HR 676. Download it, print out copies, and hand them out, leave them lying around, put them up on community bulletin boards, stuff them into library books, you're limited only by your imagination.
- Business Coalition for Single Payer has a nice leaflet too. Take copies around to your local businesses. You don't actually have to talk to anybody if you don't want to, just ask if you can leave them some copies.
- This is my favorite [no, I haven't tried it yet] -- take a cue from the Freeway Blogger.
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Comments
excellent
If everyone did just one of these we will win. Esp. write a letter to your editor, it is the best way to reach the general public.
getting into the newspapers is good
the ltes and op-eds and comics have always been my favorite parts of the paper [or were back when i still got the paper].
I second you on all of these
Leaflets, yeah. That reminds me that I owe a report on the rally for tax reform, at which I handed out some leaflets. (I've been overwhelmed with work here, but I may be able to do it today.)
The biggest point about all of these is to get and keep the single-payer option in people's consciousness. That is what makes people feel that an idea is viable - the fact that they keep hearing about it.
Another thing that occurred to me, for NYC subway riders anyhow, is to make up mini-leaflets or information cards and tuck them into the frames of the ads on the subways. Straphangers will know what I'm talking about - the various bands, DJs, and psychics advertise themselves this way. Of course, it's possible that this violates one of the MTA's many arcane rules and could earn you a $50 fine if you're seen by a cop with a quota to fill... On second thought, maybe this isn't for the timid.
(And I've heard that a popular form of grafitti is to have your message pre-written on a sticker from the Post Office and slap it on walls, lamp-posts, etc., as you pass by. Not that I'd ever advocate vandalism, of course!)
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We can't afford not to have single-payer!
creative vandalism
i haven't yet decided whether this goes under part 2 [for the intrepid] or part 3 [for the insane].
thanks for the link to that blog, i love it! i didn't know about post office stickers.
looking forward to your report on the tax reform rally. whenever you get a chance is fine with me, i'm always open to inspiration, whenever and wherever it pops up.