Starbucks Sends Political Message on Cups?

Mega coffee chain Starbucks is joining in the "fiscal cliff" discussion in Washington, and placing a simple message to lawmakers on their signature coffee cups.

In approximately 120 of its Washington, DC shops, Starbucks is encouraging its employees to tag coffee cups with the words "Come Together" as a message to government officials to ignore partisanship and make headway in avoiding the looming financial crisis. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is among a group of corporations pushing President Obama and other officials to action with the group Campaign to Fix the Debt. He is hoping that the coffee cup tags will send the word around Washington that it is time for action.

“Rather than be bystanders, we have an opportunity--and I believe a responsibility--to use our company's scale for good by sending a respectful and optimistic message to our elected officials to come together and reach common ground on this important issue,” Schultz wrote in an open letter online.

While Schultz is not certain that a cup of Starbucks will make its way onto Capitol Hill, the gesture is still a "holiday reminder from Starbucks of the spirit that has always bridged differences," he continued. Starbucks has a higher concentration of shops near the White House, and the chain's coffee cups will likely start conversation between the city's residents and workers.

"We're paying attention, we're greatly disappointed in what's going on and we deserve better," Schultz said in an interview with Reuters.

If a plan of action is not reached in Congress by the deadline of Jan. 1, the nation could see a sharp reduction in government spending and raising taxes.