ACTION ALERT FOR ALL CIGAR ENTHUSIASTS!

Currently before the United States Senate is a proposal to fund health insurance on the backs of tobacco products to the tune of $35 billion (that's Billion with a B). Most egregious is the proposed tax rate on cigars of 53.1%, including a breathtaking 20,400% increase in the cap. This would make handmade cigars - a true mom-and-pop industry, a product enjoyed by choice an average 3 times per week - the single largest excise taxed item in the entire Internal Revenue Code....by a long shot.

This piece of legislation is called SCHIP (State Childrens Health Insurance Plan). Tonight this bill is being marked up in the Senate Finance Committee and is expected to come to the Senate floor for a vote as early as end of week. We urge you to call both of your U.S. Senators today and express your opposition to funding "SCHIP legislation" with punitive cigar taxes. As a constituent your voice will be heard. Please see phone numbers below for your Senators.

List of United States Senators Office Phone Numbers

Alabama
Sen. Richard C. Shelby
202-224-5744
Sen. Jeff Sessions
202-224-4124

Alaska
Sen. Ted Stevens
202-224-3004
Sen. Lisa Murkowski
202-224-6665

Arizona
Sen. John McCain
202-224-2235
Sen. Jon L. Kyl
202-224-4521

Arkansas
Sen. Blanche L. Lincoln
202-224-4843
Sen. Mark Pryor
202-224-2353

California
Sen. Dianne Feinstein
202-224-3841
Sen. Barbara Boxer
202-224-3553

Colorado
Sen. Wayne Allard
202-224-5941
Sen. Ken Salazar
202-224-5852

Connecticut
Sen. Christopher J. Dodd
202-224-2823
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman
202-224-4041

Delaware
Sen. Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
202-224-5042
Sen. Thomas R. Carper
202-224-2441

Florida
Sen. Bill Nelson
202-224-5274
Sen. Mel Martinez
202-224-3041

Georgia
Sen. Saxby Chambliss
202-224-3521
Sen. Johnny Isakson
202-224-3643

Hawaii
Sen. Daniel K. Inouye
202-224-3934
Sen. Daniel K. Akaka
202-224-6361

Idaho
Sen. Larry E. Craig
202-224-2752
Sen. Mike Crapo
202-224-6142

Illinois
Sen. Richard J. Durbin
202-224-2152
Sen. Barack Obama
202-224-2854

Indiana
Sen. Richard G. Lugar
202-224-4814
Sen. Evan Bayh
202-224-5623

Iowa
Sen. Charles E. Grassley
202-224-3744
Sen. Tom Harkin
202-224-3254

Kansas
Sen. Sam Brownback
202-224-6521
Sen. Pat Roberts
202-224-4774

Kentucky
Sen. Mitch McConnell
202-224-2541
Sen. Jim Bunning
202-224-4343

Louisiana
Sen. Mary Landrieu
202-224-5824
Sen. David Vitter
202-224-4623

Maine
Sen. Olympia J. Snowe
202-224-5344
Sen. Susan M. Collins
202-224-2523

Maryland
Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski
202-224-4654
Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin
202-224-4524

Massachusetts
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy
202-224-4543
Sen. John F. Kerry
202-224-2742

Michigan
Sen. Carl Levin
202-224-6221
Sen. Debbie A. Stabenow
202-224-4822

Minnesota
Sen. Norm Coleman
202-224-5641
Sen. Amy Klobuchar
202-224-3244

Mississippi
Sen. Thad Cochran
202-224-5054
Sen. Trent Lott
202-224-6253

Missouri
Sen. Christopher S. "Kit" Bond
202-224-5721
Sen. Claire C. McCaskill
202-224-6154

Montana
Sen. Max Baucus
202-224-2651
Sen. Jon Tester
202-224-2644

Nebraska
Sen. Chuck Hagel
202-224-4224
Sen. Ben Nelson
202-224-6551

Nevada
Sen. Harry Reid
202-224-3542
Sen. John Ensign
202-224-6244

New Hampshire
Sen. Judd Gregg
202-224-3324
Sen. John E. Sununu
202-224-2841

New Jersey
Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg
202-224-3224
Sen. Robert Menendez
202-224-4744

New Mexico
Sen. Pete V. Domenici
202-224-6621
Sen. Jeff Bingaman
202-224-5521

New York
Sen. Charles E. Schumer
202-224-6542
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
202-224-4451

North Carolina
Sen. Elizabeth Dole
202-224-6342
Sen. Richard Burr
202-224-3154

North Dakota
Sen. Kent Conrad
202-224-2043
Sen. Byron L. Dorgan
202-224-2551

Ohio
Sen. George V. Voinovich
202-224-3353
Sen. Sherrod Brown
202-224-2315

Oklahoma
Sen. James M. Inhofe
202-224-4721
Sen. Tom Coburn
202-224-5754

Oregon
Sen. Ron Wyden
202-224-5244
Sen. Gordon Smith
202-224-3753

Pennsylvania
Sen. Arlen Specter
202-224-4254
Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr.
202-224-6324

Rhode Island
Sen. Jack Reed
202-224-4642
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse
202-224-2921

South Carolina
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham
202-224-5972
Sen. Jim DeMint
202-224-6121

South Dakota
Sen. Tim Johnson
202-224-5842
Sen. John R. Thune
202-224-2321

Tennessee
Sen. Lamar Alexander
202-224-4944
Sen. Bob Corker
202-224-3344

Texas
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
202-224-5922
Sen. John Cornyn
202-224-2934

Utah
Sen. Orrin G. Hatch
202-224-5251
Sen. Robert Bennett
202-224-5444

Vermont
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy
202-224-4242
Sen. Bernard Sanders
202-224-5141

Virginia
Sen. John W. Warner
202-224-2023
Sen. James Webb
202-224-4024

Washington
Sen. Patty Murray
202-224-2621
Sen. Maria Cantwell
202-224-3441

West Virginia
Sen. Robert C. Byrd
202-224-3954
Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV
202-224-6472

Wisconsin
Sen. Herbert H. Kohl
202-224-5653
Sen. Russ Feingold
202-224-5323

Wyoming
Sen. Craig Thomas
202-224-6441
Sen. Michael B. Enzi
202-224-3424