About 10 am on a Thursday, we set up a table near a downtown intersection. We placed "OneCareNow" banners on each side of the table, tied helium-filled balloons [nine green, 3 white] to the table to attract attention, covered the table with handouts and the "Sign Our Petition" signs. Many people stopped to talk, some signed the petition and others wanted to study the material first, so we told them about signing on line once they had read about universal, single-payer health insurance. Some people commented briskly that they were not interested and were already well covered. When reassured that we were not selling insurance, some did slow down and talk. Many didn't. Shortly after noon, we moved to the other side of the street for awhile, in front of a local coffee and donut place.

Generally, people were friendly, some thanking us for the educational effort. A minority was already aware of the need for universal health care. Anyone who had lived overseas, whether for a short while or a number of years, was convinced that single-payer care was the obvious solution to our increasingly troubled health care system. They were impatient for our nation, or at least our state, to catch up with the rest of the world.

After almost five hours, having moved back to the sunny side of the street for the warmth, we packed up until the following Tuesday.