One thing that I've been remiss in doing in recent years is contacting my congressional representatives to weigh-in on issues that I care about. My previous contacts were always by letter which took enough effort to only rarely be done.
I've always believed that it can be helpful, certainly isn't harmful, to let elected representatives know how and why we feel a particular way about an issue (always respectfully). Some will listen, some will ignore, but if we don't try then there is nothing for them to hear...
So, last week with the big three auto industry bailout proposal coming up for a vote in the House of Representatives, I decided to let my thoughts be known to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who represents southern Arizona. [Giffords is a Blue Dog Democrat and happens to be the only political candidate to ever have a bumper sticker on my car]. I went to her web site and found an easy to use online form to send her comments. [new to me #64]
If you haven't sent your own congressional representatives notes in the past, I encourage you to check out their Senate or House web sites (easy google search) and drop them a line when something you particularly care about comes up. Its way easier to do than it used to be using letters and stamps.
Too often we vote in opposition to one another based on only a few issues when we first put someone in office and then silence our voices until the next election. If we all continue to use our voices while they are in office, we may find we get more traction on the many issues that most of us do agree on...
very good point
ReplyDeleteand very true