DU ACTION ALERT: Disaster Assistance Employees (FEMA) Need Your Help!!! (Petition -- they work!)
DU'ers, you were instrumental in another petition which got attention and results: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021409070Petitions can work. Please help by keeping this thread kicked, and share the petition. Now is the time for this to get attention since so many are affected by yet another natural disaster and require the assistance of FEMA and first responders in general. And, any time we can keep discussions of healthcare coverage in play, that's a good thing.
A dear friend is a FEMA Disaster Assistance Employee (now called "Reservist"
. She deserves better...so much better. She literally puts her life on the line and everything else
on hold every time she is deployed, which is frequently. All of our first responders deserve better.
Also, if you are on Twitter, if you would share this and include @upworthy, maybe they'll pick it up and share. Upworthy has become a great social media resource!
Thank you!
[font color="green"][font size="3"]
FEMA Disaster Assistance Employees|Reservists Deserve Federal Health Benefits [/font color][/font]
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SIGN CHANGE.ORG PETITION: http://chn.ge/RqYMdQ
Once again, in the aftermath of yet another natural disaster -- Hurricane Sandy -- we see the sacrifice of first responders and how we as a nation depend upon their expertise and commitment.
According to FEMA's own description, "Disaster Assistance Employees (DAEs) are highly motivated individuals who are capable of producing quality work with minimal supervision in a pressure-filled environment. The life of a DAE can be exhausting, frustrating, challenging and rewarding. The hours can be long and the conditions are sometimes difficult, but the payoff is the satisfaction of knowing you have brought aid, relief and comfort to those individuals affected by a disaster or an emergency."
These fellow citizens are on-call and are deployed at a moment's notice to disaster areas. It is a high-stress job on many levels. However, they do not receive federal health benefits.
A similar outcry and petition effort regarding federal fire fighters' lack of health benefit coverage resulted in this unacceptable situation being rectified in July of 2012 (see Washington Post article: http://bit.ly/NvMYSF).
It's time our FEMA workers and other first responders are prioritized when it comes to compensation and benefits.
It's time we as a Citizenry demand that our priorities are better reflected in the workforce, in legislative decisions, and in our society.
WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. WE CAN DO THIS!!! Signing a petition takes less than one minute.
CLICK HERE to see the WISHADOO! blog post devoted to this (in case you'd rather share from there, for the politically resistant people you know).
Once again, here is a link to the petition itself: http://chn.ge/RqYMdQ
THANK YOU AGAIN!
= new reply since forum marked as read
It's about something we all believe in, and it's a simple action we can take to show our commitment.
I know threads move quickly these days, but NOW is the time for this issue -- and healthcare in general -- to come to the fore given our first responders and FEMA workers being front and center yet again.
Kick and Rec. Easy.
Thanks very much.
who provide disaster relief
Best wishes to you and yours in the aftermath of Sandy.
But Long Island, where I grew up, is devastated. I've got friends and family there, and in the city as well. New Jersey, too! What a mess.
During the storm, I got better information from DU than anywhere else. As always.
I've seen, firsthand, how petitions can make a difference, especially in this age of social media.
Thanks, Sienna86.
but I'm sad more DUers aren't interested in simple positive, action-oriented posts.
Makes me sad sometimes.
Thanks, Tumbulu. 
Sorry to be a pain in the ass, but I want these threads to gain more traction than they tend to -- even if I'm the one forcing the traction.
I posted on every social network I can think of, and Change.org peeps even contacted me to chat about how they can help promote it.
I rarely see results from anything, which can be demoralizing, but I'm stunned to see something like 10 signatures EVERY MINUTE coming through.
Thanks, bluenorthwest!
I can't wrap my brain around that site to save my life, but it looks like I need to in order to get activist-oriented things to go viral. Then again, maybe they aren't very active over there and just shoot the shit. I honestly can't tell.
http://redd.it/12e95t
