North Carolina's Union Movement

1,000+ gathered at state capitol on Saturday

On Saturday, August 29, 2009, over 1,000 people showed up outside the NC State Capital Building to send a clear message to our Congressional representatives as they head back to Washington: We want health care reform, and we want it now!

The event featured several speakers, including a small business owner, a doctor, a Grammy-winning singer, an uninsured mother struggling to care for a sick child, the Reverend Barber and our own MaryBe McMillan.

Reverend Barber gave a stirring speech, first denouncing those opposed to health reform for claiming that the United States doesn’t have the money to pay for it.

“When our last president led us into an unjust and unnecessary war, they found trillions of dollars, but when it comes to caring for our own people, the voices of greed, selfishness, divisiveness and fear want to tell us the funds are not sufficient. Well you can’t break the bank and rob the bank and then say there is no money in the bank,” said Reverend Barber.

“We are here today because we need a healing in the land. We need those who protect a sick health care system that does not cover everybody to turn from their wicked ways. It is ironic that 74 years ago in this same month of August, President Franklin Roosevelt was fighting to secure Social Security benefits. Even then the forces of greed and selfishness…called it socialism. They said it would break America.”

MaryBe followed Reverend Barber with a reminder of why working families need and deserve health care reform. “Over the past two decades, we’ve worked more and more for less and less. We believe in paying our fare share, but we believe in getting our fair share in return.”

“We work hard, we pay our taxes, and for those of us lucky enough to have health insurance, we pay our premiums, co-pays and deductibles too. You would think that in return we would get quality, affordable health care, but no. If you’re too sick, if you have a pre-existing condition, that’s too bad. The insurance company will deny you coverage.

“We working families have paid our dues, we’ve played by the rules, but the insurance companies have not…That’s why we cannot be silent. We cannot let this debate be defined by fear when the issue is one of fundamental fairness. North Carolinians deserve better and we have to make it clear to Congress that we want better.”

“Stand up, speak out, write letters, make calls, get your friends to do with same. We need to organize like last year, and just like last November, we need to send a message that will leave no doubt as to the choice of the American people. We want health care for everyone and we want it now!”