This is a short diary--or rather this is a forum. Last night the president made it clear that he's not giving up on health reform.
I suffer no illusions that this will be an easy process. It will be hard. But I also know that nearly a century after Teddy Roosevelt first called for reform, the cost of our health care has weighed down our economy and the conscience of our nation long enough. So let there be no doubt: health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year.
Today's the day to make yourselves heard: call, write, fax or demonstrate, but let your senators and representatives hear your voice. Tell them: The American people can't wait. We need comprehensive health reform NOW.
There's been a lot of heated debate on this site about the Senate bill, and whether it can pass the House as is, or whether it must be fixed in the Senate through reconciliation and then sent to the house for a vote.
I personally think reconciliation is the way to go here. Consequently, I'm working on my Senators. But if you believe that the Senate bill should pass as is, go ahead and contact your Representatives. Either way, make some noise.
To quote one of my favorite childhood movies, Horton Hears a Who ,(and I prefer the older, 2D version) "a person is a person, no matter how small." But I also learned from that movie that it's all to easy for people to be ignored if they are silent.
As the Whos said, to save themselves from the boiling oil,
"We Are Here! We Are Here! We Are Here!"
Use the comments to tell us what you've done in the past few days, what you're doing today, and what you plan to do tomorrow to make noise about health reform. Tell us how you were creative. Tell us how you were persistent. Brag.
Be heard.