Pick up the phone.

And give your Washington senators a call. Not the baseball team. That would be weird. It isn't even the right Washington. Also, they don't exist anymore. You'd have to call Minnesota or Texas or something. Stay with us people.

We mean YOUR Washington Senators, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray. They're waiting by the phone right now to hear what you have to say about health care. Probably.

Yesterday, Barack Obama sent a letter to Senators Kennedy (D-MA) and Baucus (D-MT) restating his commitment to developing a health care system that provides coverage to all Americans. Oh man. It's a REALLY good letter.

In his words, "In 2009, health care reform is not a luxury. It's a necessity we cannot defer." True fact. The President also spoke specifically of the difficulties small business owners face in insuring their employees when he said, "If we do end up with a system where people are responsible for their own insurance, we need to provide a hardship waiver to exempt Americans who cannot afford it. In addition,while I believe that employers have a responsibility to support health insurance for their employees, small businesses face a number of special challenges in affording health benefits and should be exempted." Turns out, some pretty big time people are listening to us little guys. It sure is nice when small business voices are loud enough to be heard over all the corporate clamour.

President Obama has been clear in his support of a public plan option, a plan that would allow those who are happy with their current insurance plans to keep them, while others could join a plan administered by the Government. All Americans would be required to have health insurance, which would bring the costs of coverage down for all.

Make sure our senators are representing us Evergreen-Staters and voicing our support for the public option as well. Give 'em a call, and tell them why we need it. If you work for a small business, or own one of your own, point that out. Small business owners have never been more organized on this issue. The time is now.

Pick up the phone.

Senator Cantwell 206.224.3441
Senator Murray 206.224.2621

But first, how about a trip to the doctor's office? It's not so scary.