Last week, the Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys’ second annual Women of Distinction lunch brought Girl Scouts together to celebrate the work and lives of today’s female leaders. These women are remarkable role models for girls everywhere, and it felt great to take time to appreciate what they’ve done.

I had been visiting my Mom a few weeks ago and mentioned I was going to the luncheon. She disappeared into her bedroom for a few minutes and came out with an old stationary box. Handing it to me, she said, “Wear this.” Wrapped very carefully in tissue paper was my Girl Scout sash! It was in pristine condition (notice good grooming badges) with my badges still attached (notice sewing and textile badges). And, it still fit.

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This week President Obama asked Congress to stand strong and finish the job of fixing our busted health insurance system. I couldn’t agree more, and now we’ve got a plan to get this done.

I’m calling this strategy “Pledge & Pass,” and it’s a simple, two-step plan for passing meaningful health insurance reform. I believe it’s our job as public servants to actually serve the public, and ending the suffering of millions of Americans under our current system is exactly what our constituents expect and deserve.

Here’s the plan.

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Hi Everybody!

I’m happy to be writing from our home in Minneapolis. While we’re back in Minnesota during the recess, I’m joining Al as he travels the state. We’re talking to Minnesotans about the economy, health care, and of course — asking a lot of questions. It’s really important to Al that we get out and have conversations with constituents, face to face, so we know what’s really happening on the ground in Minnesota’s many diverse communities.

I’m writing today to let you all know that I’ll also be spending some time focusing on issues that we think needs more attention than they generally receive – homelessness, mental illness, and addiction. I’ve been given the opportunity to visit Perspectives Family Center in St. Louis Park this week, so I wanted to tell you all a little bit about this valuable organization and the good work they do.

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I sent an email to my list today, and I thought I’d post a note here as well. As you might have heard, I’m opposing the NBC/Comcast merger in its current form. I wanted to write you today to explain why, and to ask for your help.

I have some experience in the broadcast industry, and I simply don’t trust Comcast and NBC when it comes to the merger they are asking the Senate to approve. I am convinced that without significant changes to protect consumers, merging a company who provides programming and one who provides the pipes that carry said programming would be a raw deal for Minnesotans and independent content producers alike.

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