Stand Up For Children’s Healthcare

09/27/2007

September 27, 2007


Dear Friends,

The other day, my six year old daughter Hope called me and announced, “Dad, I swallowed a rock. What are my options?”

For Hope, the options are good. We’re lucky to have good health insurance and a quick call to Hope’s doctor was all it took for a few good suggestions on how to get the rock back.

As most of you know, I now spend the majority of every week in Washington, DC voting on legislation. It gives me peace of mind to know that my family is healthy and that my kids have the opportunity to stay that way with regular preventative care from our family doctor.

But for many kids, the options are not that good. Without the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), more than 6 million kids would have only one option: treatment in their local emergency room.

Research and common sense will tell you that healthy kids do better in school and grow up stronger than sick kids. That’s why CHIP was created. It takes more than public education to level the playing field for our kids – it takes good health care, nutrition programs like the free and reduced-cost lunch program and other efforts to make sure our children can focus on learning.

This week, Congress passed the final conference report on the CHIP reauthorization. This legislation expands the program to include nearly 11 million children. Without CHIP, these 11 million children would otherwise be uninsured.

I voted for this legislation because it reflects your values and the priorities you asked me to take to Congress. Right wing interest groups are fighting mad about this vote. They say that giving uninsured children access to doctors and dentists is “nationalizing health care.” These groups, and the powerful special interests they represent, have already taken out ads in your local papers, and we expect that they’ll continue to do so for weeks to come. President Bush is threatening to veto this legislation as soon as it hits his desk.

I need your help to combat those ads. You can help me fight back by taking the following three steps:

1. Make a donation - ads like these won’t stop any time soon and when the time is right, I need to go on the offensive and talk about why insuring our kids is the right thing to do.

2. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Call my campaign office at (507) 388-5382 if you don’t know how to submit a letter or need more information for the one you’re writing.

3. Host a party in your home so Congressmen Walz can address this and other important legislation. Please call (507) 388-5382 for more information.


Last September our first radio ad ran on stations across the district. “Hearing Hope” was a smashing success because you donated to make sure it was playing everywhere and because you talked about the commercial with your friends and neighbors. (You can still listen to “Hearing Hope” here.)

The message we brought to the airwaves last September is the same as the message we need to send now: having access to healthcare should be more than just a matter of luck. With only a few short days until our next financial reporting period, your support now is crucial to ensure we continue to spread that message and to do the work necessary to make sure that access to healthcare is a guarantee for our kids, not just a lucky break. $25, $50 or $100 is all it takes. Please click here to make a secure online donation today!

Our fundraising success will be measured by the pundits in Washington and the National Republican Party. A strong finish to the financial quarter which ends on Sunday will make the Republicans think twice about targeting our seat in southern Minnesota. It will also make them think twice about their message, which seems to be that there are higher priorities than our children. We disagree and we need to send a clear message that Minnesotans do not support the President’s agenda.

Please help us keep the options open for our kids – every contribution made this year makes the Republican Party less likely to target this seat next year. Your contribution of $50, $100, $150 or more can make the difference today. Midnight September 30 is our deadline. Please make a contribution today at http://www.timwalz.org or click here.

I appreciate your support and I am proud to represent southern Minnesota in Congress. There is no better feeling than to know supporters like you are standing with me for change.


Sincerely,

Congressman Tim Walz


P.S. For more information about the CHIP expansion, including myths and misrepresentations about the legislation, click here. Please help me fight these misrepresentations and distortions by donating today at http://www.timwalz.org.

P.P.S. Yesterday, Hope got her rock out.