Tag Archives: politics

Yes to Universal Health Care

This morning I took a few minutes out to email my elected representatives to let them know that I support universal health care.  Perhaps you'd like to do the same?  Here's my note.  I used the email wizard, which took all of 5 minutes on Congress.org US Capitol by bobistraveling, on Flickr, some rights reserved.

Dear Elected Representatives:

As I read news reports of the  debate on health care coverage, I
feel the voices of ordinary citizens are being drowned out.  I want you
all to know that I support universal health care coverage–including an
option where the US Government provides a plan.  The costs of not having
health care to our people and our economy are too great.  We deserve a
better system than the one we have and better care.  Please work with the President and
get health care reform passed in 2009.

Sincerely,

Ted Bongiovanni

Change Congress

Gas is over $4 a gallon, the planet’s getting warmer, we’re fighting a war in Iraq, we live in the era of “No Child Left Behind,” and we leave children behind. The old trope is that “people get the government they deserve.” We don’t. According to Larry Lessig, the founder of Change Congress, we must and can do better. Our problem: we the people, get interested in politics every four years. The solution: a congress–the people’s house working in our interests everyday instead of the interests of lobbyists. You can help by taking the pledge at Change Congress and then checking on your legislator to see how he or she acts on key reform issues. Now, I agree, “Yes We Can” but we also need the persistence to sustain the movement–and that comes from a Congress that is truly of, by and FOR the people.
For reference, here’s Lessig’s presentation about Change Congress. If you haven’t seen him present, you must watch–he’s got an amazing gift–he informs, entertains and insprires.

What do you think of Change Congress? Are you happy with the representation you get in Washington? Locally, or are you tuned out?

Here Comes Everybody (I’m here too!)

Clay Shirky’s latest book, Here Comes Everybody:
The Power of Organizing Without Organizations
,
discusses how light-weight web-based
technologies like blogging, twittering and photo sharing sites like
Flickr result in real world actions.  Shirky talked about the book
at the Markle
Foundation
on April 10.  I’m going to highlight
a new of Clay’s examples and then reflect on what I think his ideas
mean for traditional organizations. 

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