[oregon-l] How To Write To Congress

[John A. Fleming]

Thought maybe with all that's happening in our nation, you might like to 
express your exhilaration happiness, satisfaction, sorrow, disgust, 
unhappiness
or thousands of other descriptive words that may describe how you feel about 
the direction of the nation.  Here's an article that may give you some 
insight
into doing just that.

Happy Writing!

Blue Skies
John
·
How To Write To Congress

By
Carey Alexander,
4:10 PM on Tue Sep 23 2008, 32,059 views

http://consumerist.com/assets/images/consumerist/2008/09/writingaletter.jpg
Writing to Congress is the single best way to express your view on public 
policy. The average consumer has a surprising ability to influence 
legislation
by crafting a well written missive. Let's find out what the common mistakes 
to avoid are, how the process works, and the best ways to ensure your letter
has the greatest impact.

Why Personal Letters Beat Form Letters
Don't get suckered in by the quick and easy "Write to Congress!" form 
letters littering the internet. Form letters are not an expression of 
values; they
are a show of organizational strength. If the NRA convinces five million 
people to send letters opposing gun control, it shows that the NRA can 
muster
five million people to action, not that five million people necessarily care 
about gun laws. Congressional offices know this and generally disregard form
letters.

So what happens when you send a letter?

Every office has its own procedures for tabulating constituent 
correspondence, but most will produce a report at the end of week breaking 
down how many
letters were received by issue area, separating out form letters from 
letters sent by individual constituents.

Members treat each type of letter differently, but most look for individual 
letters as a barometer of their district's concerns. These are the letters 
that
have the most influence, the ones we will show you how to write.

What Should Your Letter Say?
We adhere to the three paragraph rule: introduce yourself, introduce your 
issue, request action. Congressional offices have staffers whose days are 
spent
solely on the mail, so make their lives easier by keeping letter succinct 
and to the point.

list of 5 items
list of 5 items nesting level 1
. Introduce Yourself: There is a two-prong test for determining your worth: 
1) Are you a constituent? 2) Are you an important constituent? Feel free to
puff up your chest. Are you a lifelong member of the district? Are you 
associated with community groups? Say so! Convince the reader that yours is 
a voice
of experience and wisdom.
. Be specific: Don't just ask a Member to oppose mandatory binding 
arbitration agreements. Ask them to rush to the floor to
support S.1782
, The Arbitration Fairness Act of 2007.
. Marshall Facts: Your argument-and you are making an argument-must be 
supported by facts. Feel free to use facts gleaned from us or other sources, 
but
don't copy and paste paragraphs of pre-written text from form letters. 
Personal experiences are particularly effective, and often moving. Share 
them!
. Be Exceedingly Polite, Please: Congress attracts haughty personalities. 
Staffers don't appreciate being spoken down to or insulted. You are trying 
to
rally them to your cause, so be nice.
. Clearly State Your Request: Plainly tell your representative that you want 
them to support or oppose a certain bill. If you want a response, explicitly
(but politely) ask for one.
list end nesting level 1
list end

It should go without saying that your letter should follow all formal style 
guidelines, such as a return name and address, and should be free of 
spelling
and grammatical errors.

Send Your Letter To The Right Place
Only write to your representatives. You have three: one Representative in 
the House, and two Senators. Do not send more than three letters. Some 
citizens
try to get their voice heard by writing to all 435 members of the House. 
Congressional courtesy compels the 434 Members who do not represent the 
zealot
to forward his letter to the one lucky Member who does. This angers the 
Member's staff greatly at the expense of any point you are trying to make.

The addresses for your
Representatives
 and
Senators
 are available online, but don't waste your time with an email. Letters 
carry significantly more weight. Send your letter to the Capitol, where the 
legislative
staff is based, though it will take a while to arrive since all incoming 
Congressional mail is irradiated thanks to those still-unidentified Anthrax 
mailers.


For an even greater impact, send your letter care of the staffer covering 
the issue. These staffers - called Legislative Assistants - are the Member's 
eyes
and ears on their assigned issue areas. Finding the staffer destined to read 
your letter is easy: call the Capitol switchboard (open 24 hours a day!) at
(202) 224-3121, ask for your Member's office, and ask the person who answers 
for the name of the staffer handling the issue area or bill number. Once you
get that name, address your letter like this:

Member Of Congress
c/o Staffer
Office Building/Number
Washington, DC 20515

What Should You Expect In Return?
It depends. There are 535 Congressional offices and each handles constituent 
correspondence differently. The vast majority respond to letters with either
a form letter pre-written by a Legislative Assistant, or with a more 
personal response written by a Legislative Correspondent. Controversial 
issues that
attract many letters normally receive a form letter response, while smaller 
issues or specific questions often receive the attention of a personalized
response.

Conclusion
Members of Congress work for you. Without your votes, they won't stay in 
office. They go to great lengths to cultivate a positive relationship with 
you,
their boss. Very few people take the time to write to a Member of Congress, 
so the few that do carry a disproportionate influence.

Fifteen minutes is well worth the time to influence a $2 trillion enterprise