In other news, keep up going to the Democratic townhalls and make the best case as you can as a voter as to why the public option IS a crucial cost-containment and why regional co-operatives aren't crucial cost containments in making health care premiums affordable for Americans!

Here's my diary from yesterday explaining why regional co-operatives won't work because under the proposed Senate Finance bill, even Blue Cross Blue Shield could become a regional co-operative!

Mr. Conrad’s own state demonstrates the uncertainties surrounding cooperatives. Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota dominates the state’s private insurance market, collecting nearly 90 percent of premiums. As a nonprofit owned by its members, the company would hope to qualify as a co-op under federal legislation, said Paul von Ebers, its incoming president and chief executive. And one of our Democrats in this story sounds like an idiot when he says that a "co-operative" could be competitive against Blue Cross Blue Shield! “The market here is uncompetitive,” said Mr. Pomeroy, a former state insurance commissioner. “A cooperative could provide an alternative source of insurance and some interesting competition for premium dollars. A co-op could operate at lower costs, in part because it would not need to pay its executives so generously as the local Blue Cross Blue Shield plan.” Congressman Pomeroy, the Blue Cross Blue Shield in your state is NON-PROFIT and yet it pays its executives very generously. Blue Cross Blue Shield is planning to change its status to a "non-profit co-operative" and it'll still pay its own executives so generously. Regional co-operatives will NOT bring premium prices down when they're still being run by the same people that are now gouging us with unaffordable medical bills!

This what you guys need to print out when you go to these Democratic townhalls to explain why regional co-operatives would NOT work because they would be taken over by insurers like Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Use the FDL Recess Event Tracker Tool to find townhall events near you. And if you know of a townhall event that's not listed on the FDL Recess Event Tracker, please enter in that information. Report back to us at FDL about what happened at the event, and upload any videos or photos from that event. Also, if you go, don't forget to ask questions like these of our Democratic officials, and make the best case as you can as to why the public option is a necessary cost containment on insurance premiums, otherwise it'd be a mandated bailout of the murder-by-spreadsheet industry with no end in sight to your rising premiums. Read ShadowSD's diary for his excellent defense of the public option, and the rebuttals to the most common conservative talking points. Please bring a copy of his diary with you and your friends when you go to a townhall event.

And please, please, please, thank our Democratic heroes for saying that they won't vote for any bill that doesn't include a strong, robust public option.

Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)- 202-225-4811

Corrine Brown (D-FL)- 202-225-0123

Michael Capuano (D-MA)- 202-225-5111

André Carson (D-IN)- 202-225-4011

Judy Chu (D-CA)- 202-225-5467

Yvette Clarke (D-NY)- 202-225-6231

William "Lacy" Clay (D-MO)- 202-225-2406

John Conyers (D-MI)- 202-225-5126

Elijah Cummings (D-MD)- 202-225-4741

Bill Delahunt (D-MA)- 202-225-3111

Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)- 202-225- 4865

Donna Edwards (D-MD)- 202-225-8699

Keith Ellison (D-MN)- 202-225-4755

Sam Farr (D-CA)- 202-225-2861

Chaka Fattah (D-PA)- 202-225-4001

Bob Filner (D-CA)- 202-225-8045

Marcia Fudge (D-OH1)- 202-225-7032

Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)- 202-225-2435

Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)- 202-225-8203

Phil Hare (D-IL)- 202-225-5905

Alcee Hastings (D-FL)- 202-225-1313

Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)- 202-225-6335

Mazie Hirono (D-HI)- 202-225-4906

Michael Honda (D-CA)- 202-225-2631

Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)- 202-225-8885

Hank Johnson (D-GA)- 202-225-1605

Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)- 202-225-4146

Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI)- 202-225-2261

Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)- 202-225-5871

Barbara Lee (D-CA)- 202-225-2661

Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX)- 202-225-3816

Eric Massa (D-NY)- 202-225-3161

Jim McDermott (D-WA)- 202-225-3106

James McGovern (D-MA)- 202-225-6101

Gwen Moore (D-WI)- 202-225-4572

Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)- 202-225-5635

Grace Napolitano (D-CA)- 202-225-5256

John Olver (D-MA)- 202-225-5335

Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)- 202-225-5751

Donald Payne (D-NJ)- 202-225-3436

Chellie Pingree (D-ME)- 202-225-6116

Laura Richarson (D-CA)- 202-225-7924

Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)- 202-225-1766

Linda Sánchez (D-CA)- 202-225-6676

José Serrano (D-NY)- 202-225-4361

Albio Sires (D-NJ)- 202-225-7919

Jackie Speier (D-CA)- 202-225-3531

Pete Stark (D-CA)- 202-225-5065

Bennie Thompson (D-MS)- 202-225-5876

John Tierney (D-MA)- 202-225-8020

Ed Towns (D-NY)- 202-225-5936

Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)- 202-225-2361

Maxine Waters (D-CA)- 202-225-2201

Diane Watson (D-CA)- 202-225-7084

Mel Watt (D-NC)- 202-225-1510

Anthony Weiner (D-NY)-202.225.6616

Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)- 202-225-5161 And these are the members who are credibly onboard with the FDL Pledge: Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO)- 202-225-4535

Pete DeFazio (D-OR)- 202-225-6416

Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)- 202-225- 4865

Donna Edwards (D-MD)- 202-225-8699

Keith Ellison (D-MN)- 202-225-4755

Bob Filner (D-CA)- 202-225-8045

Barney Frank (D-MA)- 202-225-5931

Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)- 202-225-2435

Phil Hare (D-IL)- 202-225-5905

Rush Holt (D-NJ)- 202-225-5801

Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)- 202-225-7944

Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)- 202-225-5635

Chellie Pingree (D-ME)- 202-225-6116

Maxine Waters (D-CA)- 202-225-2201

Robert Wexler (D-FL)-202-225-3001

Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)- 202-225-5161

John Yarmuth (D-KY)- 202-225-5401

And don't forget to donate to our public option fund at FDL since Nyceve, Jane, I, and others are working hard night and day on this issue for us all!