Michelle Obama Hosts Roundtable Discussions with Working Women in Pontiac

By HB Meeks/Tell Us Detroit

Obama kicked off a two-day tour, meeting with working women at the Crowfoot Theater in Pontiac, Michigan to discuss economic challenges facing women and families

Pontiac, MI – Michelle Obama visited with working women Wednesday morning at the Crowfoot Theater in Pontiac to hear about the challenges they face in juggling work and family commitments and keeping up with soaring costs—and to discuss how Senator Obama’s economic policies will provide real relief for women and families. Michelle has been hosting women’s roundtables over the course of the campaign, helping to communicate Senator Obama’s vision and share her perspective on his background and approach to making America more prosperous for everyone.

“As President, Barack will change our politics and change our policies—so that instead of just talking about family values, we actually have policies that make it easier for working parents to care for their loved ones and support their families; policies to ensure that working women no longer have to choose between their kids and their careers,” Michelle Obama said.

At the roundtable in Pontiac, Michelle was joined by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and other local women leaders.

Taniesha Clanagan
Taniesha is a 29 year old woman making $31,000 a year. She has health insurance but still struggles with the burden of additional medical costs, like lab fees. She has decided not have children because she can’t afford to raise them the way she’d like to.

Obama claims Taniesha would benefit from a $500 tax credit. She would have access to affordable, high-quality and portable health insurance that would reduce her costs. Obama’s plan would reduce health care costs $2,500 for the typical family.

Nicole Blocker
Nicole is a single mother of two sons, 13 years old and three years old; she makes $40,000-60,000 a year in sales. Nicole has no health insurance but both boys are insured through the state’s program, MiChild. One of her major concerns is her lack of health insurance because costs wipes out her budget from the month. She spends $5,000 - $7,000 a year on health costs for herself. She owns her home. Her younger son is in day care five days a week all day, which takes about $900 a month of her budget. Her biggest challenge is balancing work, family responsibility and time with her sons.

Obama’s plan claims, Nicole will have access to affordable health insurance coverage that is portable (not tied to an employer) and high-quality. His plan will reduce health care costs for the typical family by up to $2,500.

 Michelle Obama concluded, "Because I want my daughters – and all our sons and daughters – to have opportunities that we and our mothers and grandmothers could only dream of."