Postscript

The long, seemingly endless election season has come to an end. Working families saw great wins and some unsettling losses in terms of supportive candidates, but the results of the Presidential election have made it clear that the people of this country want change. President-elect Barack Obama has outlined on his new website his agenda for the when the new administration takes office next January. High priorities on the list are matters of the economy, health care, and energy, issues that have become so important to working families across the country. His plans to support our workers, revitalize the economy, phase in reforms to our health care system, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil will be steps in the right direction to provide some relief to the tough financial problems faced by working families every day.

But our fight is not over.

According to the American Automobile Association, Western New York has the highest gas prices of anywhere in the continental US; only Alaskans and Hawaiins pay more per gallon. Congressman-elect Chris Lee wants the market to control our health care system, to deregulate business even further, and will cut government spending for vital social programs that working families here in WNY rely on. Though this was a long campaign cycle that left so many of us very tired of politics, we must still stay vigilant. It is our duty to make sure Congressman-elect Lee takes on our concerns and represents everyone here in the 26th districts - businesses as well as working families.

Update

Working Families Win has had a busy couple of weeks here in WNY! Last week, we went to a flu clinic hosted by the lovely women of the St. John's Nurse Ministry group. Yesterday, we were invited to attend a panel discussion of the Adult Immunization Coalition, where we discussed the burden placed on our health care system by wholly preventable, vaccinable diseases. WFW was asked to be a part of the committee/task force to handle some of these issues, so feel free to drop us a line if you have ideas or suggestions!

We've been working hard at our regular phone banks - check out the news section of our website for photos, stats, and other updates. And now that our literature has finally arrived from the printer, we'll begin our canvass efforts this weekend. Also, keep your eyes peeled for updates about a Rock The Vote® concert we'll be hosting on Saturday, November 1, just a few days before the election! We're still in the planning stages in terms of speakers and bands, but it will be held all afternoon at Delaware Park, just outside the Albright Knox.

In these last eighteen days leading up to the election, we need your help more than ever. If you'd like to participate in our phone bank, canvass, other GOTV efforts, or help out with our Rock The Vote® planning, please drop either Christy or me an e-mail, or give us a call at 716-908-0469 and 716-471-7892.

GOOD Sheets on Health Care

Starbucks has recently begun to offer free factsheets in their coffee shops, sponsored by GOOD Magazine plus one advertiser per issue. They call them GOOD Sheets, and you can find them in any of the Starbucks locations peppered across the area.

This week's issue is called Bill of Health, about our health care system: how we stack up against other modern, industrialized nations; how the system got as bad as it is; and different plans for fixing it, including little notes on where Obama and McCain stand on the issue. If you don't manage to pick up a copy by tomorrow (each issue is on the shelf from Thursday to Wednesday), you can check out all the handy little graphs over at the GOOD blog by clicking the link or the image below.