ONE MINUTE REVOLUTION

 

HOW TO MAKE REVOLUTION IN ONE MINUTE

(THE EASY NON-VIOLENT WAY)

 

The foundation of the One Minute Revolution is at least one phone call per month and an additional 50 minutes of live action once a year. If just 1% of the adult population (about 2 million people) participated, one year would result in 25 million calls, plus 2 million live action events. 

 

Part One: Put your elected officials in your contacts list in your phone.  Ideally this would include at minimum both federal senators and House representative, and state senator, representative, governor, and mayor, alderperson or council member, etc.  It is every citizen's responsibility to communicate with elected officials-even if you didn’t vote for them! How can they represent you if they don’t know what you want?!

US Congress Switchboard number: (202) 224-3121

Missouri: https://www.senate.mo.gov/LegisLookup/Default.aspx

 

Part Two: Think about an issue that matters to you and compose a brief statement.  The person answering the phone will only need your zip code and one or two sentences. Be concise and prepared. Be courteous. 

“Hello, I’m calling from (Your zip code) to let Senator Josh Hawley know that I support a $15 an hour minimum wage.  In areas where the wage has increased small businesses have not suffered, prices have remained stable, and the economy has improved. All workers deserve a living wage.”  

Wait to see if they have any questions, although usually they do not.  Sometimes you might have to wait, but most offices have an option to leave a voicemail.  Rarely do calls last longer than a minute.  

Repeat at least once a month. (Optional step: set a reminder on your phone for regularly scheduled calls. Weekday mornings before lunch is often a good time.) 

Part Three: Research a topic one question at a time. (Repeat as needed before returning to Part Two or progressing to Part Four.) 

How much does the US government spend on the ACA, including administrative and other costs? 

How much does the US government spend on Medicare, including administrative and other costs?

Medicaid? WIC? Veteran’s?

Spend a minute adding your figures and making some calculations.  

How many taxpayers are there? 

How much are US citizens paying for all forms of health insurance? 

How much would Medicare For All Cost? 

 

Part Four: Compose an email to an elected official with your research and conclusions, in one-minute segments.  Review it a few days and edit as needed.  Consider asking for a return phone call. 

Dear Senator Hawley, I support Medicare For All. The US government is currently spending $1.2 trillion a year on all Medicare, Medicaid, ACA and other forms of insurance.  That’s about $3600 per capita (divided by US population at 330 million), and about $8400 per taxpayer (divided by 143 million taxpayers). Private citizens are spending about 2.3 trillion dollars. That’s $3.5 trillion a year.  The average cost of a single health insurance premium is over $7000 a year.  We spend more and get less than every other industrialized nation, and many that we consider to be less advanced. Medicare for All would cost this country less and improve public health.  I would like to know where the Senator stands on Medicare for All.  I would appreciate a return phone call.

 

Part Five: Go Live! Once a year set aside 50 minutes and show up! Attend a Town Hall, a rally, library board meeting, observe a judge, volunteer in a community group, etc.  oneminuterevolution.blogspot.com