Things are turning ugly. Town halls, which typically serve as open, safe environments to ask questions of elected officials, have degenerated into violent shouting matches.

Last night in St. Louis, Missouri, a reverend and member of SEIU was assaulted at a town hall. The incident, along with a town hall in Tampa, Florida, has been all over the radio and cable news shows. GOP operatives are rushing to paint it as SEIU "thug" violence. That couldn't be further from the truth.

Watch the video with footage from these events: http://action.seiu.org/townhall

Cable news channels are broadcasting images of neighbors turning against one another in chaotic, sometimes frightening town hall meetings. Incited by extremist radio and TV hosts, "teabagger" protesters are yelling and chanting talking points that span from radicalism to racism.

Enough is enough. Click here to sign a pledge for civil, honest debates about health care reform: http://action.seiu.org/townhall

It is extremely discouraging to see people treating one another like this. And it's a reminder of how GOP scare-tactics ("the government will kill the elderly,!" "the government will choose your doctors!" or "the government will ration care!") use fear to overpower the truth.

We are at a turning point. To succeed, we will continue to elevate this conversation, distinguish ourselves from the opposition, and speak to our fellow Americans with respect and dignity. Where we disagree, we'll invite discussion. And when we agree, we'll work together toward a solution.

That's the only way we're going to solve our nation's health care crisis. When it comes to quality, affordable health care, the stakes are too high to let shouting run the show.

Thanks for standing up.

SEIU members and activists continue to stand tall to ensure healthcare reform happens this year. As members of the U.S. House and Senate turn their sights from committee hearings and floor votes to barbecues and luncheons back home, SEIU's Change That Works team is planning hundreds of events to ensure elected leaders don't forget the promises they made on the campaign trail. From Iowa to Indianapolis, from an ambulance tour across Montana, to bake sales in North Dakota--our elected leaders will hear from working families that need affordable, quality healthcare this year and the Employee Free Choice Act.

Demanding Healthcare Reform from Elected Officials: In Indiana, more than 50 constituents of Rep. Barron Hill rallied in front of his district office. In North Carolina, members of SEANC protested at Senator Burr's office calling for solutions to our shared crisis and an end to partisan games. And last Friday, Virginians gathered to show their support for comprehensive reform that puts an end to skyrocketing healthcare costs for families. Call or write your Member of Congress today and demand real reform.

Change that Works Presses Editorial Boards on Healthcare Reform
It's no secret that newspaper editorial boards help set the groundwork for discussions in cities and towns across the country. In Iowa, the Change that Works team met with the Des Moines Register editorial writers and helped move the conversation about why we need a public plan and urging Congress to stay in session until healthcare reform passes. In Maine, activists worked with the Bangor Daily News to examine how citizens win when corporate greed is kept in check. Lastly, the New York Times, with a little help from the Change that Works team, wrote two weekends ago about how healthcare reform will impact, and ultimately benefit Americans.

Montana Activists Hit the Gas for an Emergency Drive Across State
Working families are hurting across the country. In an effort to connect with local Montanans about important issues like affordable healthcare and labor law reform, Change that Works has hit the road in Big Sky Country and will do an ambulance drive through 24 towns over 11 days. At each stop, volunteers are offering free health screenings and encouraging residents to write their elected officials about what healthcare reform means to them. The drive started over two weeks ago in Havre, and it will continue through August 8th in Missoula.

Coloradoans for Healthcare Rally Statewide
In Colorado, Change that Works activists and volunteers took the message for urgent healthcare reform to the streets across the state. Last week, events were held in Carbondale, Glenwood, Fort Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Grand Junction. Despite competing rallies from tea bag aficionados during the same period, two columnists from the Denver Post, Mike Littwin and Bill Johnson, came out strong for reform that provides quality, affordable healthcare for all. Mr. Johnson concluded his column by asking, "Health care reform. If not now, when?"

SEIU Wisconsin Spells it Out: Appreciating Workers Means Providing Affordable, Quality Healthcare
The SEIU Wisconsin State Council organized a rally for affordable healthcare during Milwaukee's annual "Employee Appreciation Week." When asked why union members with a contract were organizing for healthcare, Peter Hanrahan said "Because unfortunately during our negotiations, health care was the number one obstacle to getting a living wage."

As healthcare inflation has outpaced wages threefold, it has become clear creating an economy that works for everyone must start with guaranteeing quality, affordable healthcare to all. Learn more about what Change that Works and SEIU members are planning over Congressional Recess. Find events in your area here.

"For me and for so many of my co-workers, the main issue is our healthcare," said Annie Davis, a 54-year-old New York security officer and SEIU Local 32BJ member during her day-long visit with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "We don't have sick days. We don't get paid for holidays. It's not even so much our wages, it's the benefits...We are doing some of the most important jobs in the city. "

Davis, who works in the lobby of the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in downtown NYC, makes $11.75 an hour with no days off and no medical coverage. She is one of 1,100 guards at 20 agencies throughout the city who work for private contractor Allied Barton and are considering going on strike by the end of May if things don't improve.

According to Mayor Bloomberg, his day spent with security officer Annie Brown "renewed his appreciation" for what workers go through every day to makes end meet in New York and take care of their families. On his campaign blog, Mayor Bloomberg reflects back on his day spent with Brown as part of Local 32BJ's "Walk a Day in My Shoes" campaign, acknowledging that in spite of the initiatives his administration has invested in to improve the training and compensation of NY's security officers, there's "much more to be done" to ensure the "security guards [that play] a pivotal role in keeping all eight million of us safe" are "well-paid, well-trained, and well-treated." Read the Mayor's blog here.

"Walking a day with a working New Yorker shouldn't just be a prerequisite for our union's endorsement, but a requirement for the job," said 32BJ President Mike Fishman of the local union's "Walk a Day in My Shoes" campaign to get every elected official to experience firsthand what life is like for working people. Mayor Bloomberg is the second NYC mayoral candidate to have taken part in the campaign, after City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. walked a day in the shoes of 32BJ member Lateef Rivers last week, spending part of Rivers' shift with him at the Brooklyn Municipal Building.

Read more about about Mayor Bloomberg's and Mr. Thompson's walk-a-days with SEIU 32BJ members in the NY Daily News and the NY Times. Video of Mayor Bloomberg's day with Annie Brown at NY1 here.

Nurses from across Florida gathered with State Representative Alan Williams and Leon County Commissioner Cliff Thaell in Tallahassee this week to ensure elected officials understand the dire state of our healthcare system.

Participants shared their experiences with families who face critical healthcare decisions. "I've had patients who have had strokes because they didn't have enough money for their very probably inexpensive blood pressure medication but they had to feed the kids," said Betsy Marville, an RN from West Palm Beach. Meeting organizers will send the stories to Congressman Allen Boyd next week.

>> Do you have a healthcare story to tell? Every story matters and it's time for our elected leaders to hear these stories.