OPERATION HOUSECALL REDUX

It's time to do your part and call your congressperson.  It will be difficult, because the phone lines have been notoriously busy, but it's worth it.  Let your voice be heard.  But remember - be polite, be concise, and be firm.

If you can't spend an hour or two hitting redial, send them an email.  You can only email the congressman who directly represents you.  You might also want to try the local offices for your representative in your state.  Burn up their phone lines, too.  Word will get back to them, fear not.

To email your congressman, click here.  You will need your zip code and four digit zip code extension in order to email the right representative.

Here is the US Capitol switchboard number - (202) 224-3121.  Ask for your representative by name.  Be prepared for a busy signal, but don't lose hope - people are getting through.

You can also check out Congress.org's congressional directory.  You can enter either your zip code (it might ask you for a street address if you live in a county with split districts) or your reps name.  A page will come up with the representative's name and vital stats.  There are tabs at the top of the page - the second tab is for contact information.  You can connect with his/her congressional website to leave an email, or contact their D.C. office or their local offices via telephone.

Operation Housecall is in effect again.  It's time to do our civic duty and remind our representatives that they work for us.  At least, for now.....

CRISIS, CRISIS, CRISIS!!!

Today President Obama declared the swine flu outbreak an emergency. More than a thousand people have died in the U.S. so far this year, nearly a hundred of which were children. The declaration enables the hospitals to, among other things, open off-site facilities to keep non-flu victims from catching the virus while waiting in the ER.


Because, after all, the swine flu epidemic is particularly virulent and the number of casualties is off the charts.


Unless you consider how many people die of the 'regular' flu each year. In the United States alone, 36,000 people on average die from the flu yearly. I'm not saying the deaths from swine flu aren't important, but, in the grand scheme, the numbers just don't add up to an emergency epidemic.


So why has Obama declared it an emergency?


To pass health care, of course.


If there isn't a real emergency, they need to gin one up. But, just like global warming, people aren't buying it.

If only they tried reasoned debate and true bipartisanship, they might be more successful at passing their schemes. Unfortunately, they only know how to operate using intimidation and deception, and so, here we go again -

Crisis, crisis, crisis!