Reply #12: Edwards Gets It - A Look From The Bottom

[Norma Druid]

I represent a group of people who have very specific concerns in this presidential race. We are the people who actually do the detailed work that business requires to keep its records and handle the small day-to-day affairs that are a necessary part of the whole. Generally we earn in a year what our CEOs earn in a week or so. Those of us lucky enough to work for a big corporation that provides health insurance and 401ks give thanks for what we have and form a stable workforce. We´re mostly women, though some men are involved, especially in the mail and supply categories. None of us are dumb. You can´t be dumb and perform in today´s workplace. You have to be computer literate and keep up with constant changes in systems and procedures. We are not interchangeable parts who can be changed out at short notice.

We have all shades of political opinion among us; none are ignorant of the world around us. In three areas we are united in our concerns, regardless of politics:
1. Health insurance and how we can afford prescription medicine
2. Health care in retirement and retirement income
3. Health care for our kids and grandkids.
These are the topics of discussion in every office. All of us are worried. We are hanging on now, but for how long? We keep a sharp lookout for any news on those fronts.

Another thing about this group - we are not so easy to intimidate out of voting. A lot of us are white. We all have fixed addresses and we use the same skills we learned to prevent scams to our employers to recognize voting scams. We are not all politically active, but in matters concerning our family and our health we are a force to be reckoned with.