Advent Requests from NETWORK

NETWORK -- a national Catholic social justice lobby -- has posted a Christmas "wish list." Here's the first installment:

Advent is almost over - haven't we waited long enough for healing?

People we know are desperate for better healthcare, yet our senators are scheming and dealing and criticizing and positioning themselves for the next election. You are probably tired of the healthcare debate. We are too. But when we listen to the pleas of people all over the country, and we realize how close we are to getting legislation that will start to fix our healthcare system, we know we need to ask you one more time for your advocacy.

Please, please contact your senators this week and next week - call them, e-mail them, send them a Christmas card, visit them if you can. Tell them about the people you know who can't get the healthcare they need. Tell them about your own fears. If you need any more motivation, read some of the stories that people like you have told us. No matter what you have heard about the healthcare bills, know that they contain many good and necessary things to help people like you and others. Also please know that there is no opportunity to start over. We need to get the legislation passed now, and fix the things we don't like in the bill later.

You can call both your senators via the Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121, and e-mail them via NETWORK's website: http://capwiz.com/networklobby/issues/alert/?alertid=14410111&type=CO

As we await the celebration of the coming of the Messiah, the great healer, we dare not step back now from efforts to change our country's healthcare system.