It is my opinion that in order to get the United States of America back on track, we the people must become more involved.
Each of us has an opinion on just about every law or potential law before Congress.
Trouble is, Congress does not know what your opinion is, and they are not going to canvass you before every vote.
You, therefore, must communicate with them.
There are several ways you can do that.
You can call the Congressional switchboard and ask to be put through to your Congress person's office. The number is: 202-244-3121.
When you get your Representative's office, be polite (a lost art on some people).
It is OK to be firm, but it is never helpful to be abusive or derisive.
The second way is by mail.
The address of your Representative can be found at: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
Writing is slower, but gives a pure paper trail.
The day before yesterday I got a personal reply from Connie Mack to a letter I had sent him about six weeks ago.
The third method is to use email.
I'm not sure how effective email is, although I have gotten responses from emails I sent to Representatives from my own Party (Republican).
Finally, you can visit the local office of your Representative.
If he/she is out of town, talk to the office staff. If you are friendly and polite, they will hear you.
Which ever way you choose, be specific. Don't ramble. Stick to one topic at a time and don't be distracted from your point.
Be polite.
Politeness is a lost art, but is really appreciated when it is tried.
A favorable response to your message is more likely to be forth-coming if you are pleasant.
So, be polite.
And did I say, "Be polite?"
That is because I think you should
BE POLITE!
It is little to ask of one who wants to be involved in issues of government, so be polite.
You can find out about upcoming bills and legislation at several sites, especially if you know from what committee the bill you are interested emanates.
Sites like: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/committee.xpd?id=SSJU will show the people on the committee and pending legislation.
It requires some wading, but it is useful for specific items.
A comprehensive listing can be found at http://www.govtrack.us/ , with which you can follow the status of federal legislation.
Anyway...I hope this helps you become more involved.
And by the way: be polite.
6 comments:
It is important for the American to talk to their Congressmen. House of Representatives are supposed to represent us, the people. They are supposed to vote for what their district wants.
Polite? Did you say polite? I wasn't clear on how we should treat them. Glad you cleared that up! LOL
Seriously though, it is so important to contact them and let them know where we stand. We can't expect them to represent us if we don't tell them what we are feeling!
I communicate with my Congressman, Dave Camp, with some regularity. Fortunately he is one of the best.
"Sarcasm, wit, half-wit, nit-wit, parody, satire, puns (especially puns), etc. are encouraged."
I guess there's hope for me yet..LOL
Joe, great post. I agree, one should stay involved and contact their reps when we know of a vote...Trouble is we don't always know when a vote is coming up and they do it in the dead of night......So what is one to do...Vote them OUT !!!! stay well....
I like the high level message of your post - essentially that we take responsibility for making our community/country/world a better place.
I'm Canadian so don't have a Congressman to go to, but I think the point is universal - as Jim Collins said in 'Good to Great' - when you're looking to give praise, look out the window, and when you're looking to criticize, look in the mirror...
Post a Comment