As I've stated before, politicians care about one thing and one thing only -
GETTING REELECTED.
With that said, they are pretty clever about the process. They know that
less than half the registered voters even bother to vote. Half of those just
vote party line. So, the individual that generates a little interest,
displays a little energy is widely respected and feared. Respected because
the will work on campaigns (signs, stickers, phone calls, etc.) Feared for
the same reasons.
EVERY real letter sent to a politician carries real weight. Someone who
takes the time to write a letter and put a stamp on it falls into the
respect/fear category. Email letters and phone calls carry some weight, but
not as much as a mailed or faxed letter.
Lobbyists will try and convince you that only they have the access. Well,
just remember how they get paid.
My personal suggestion is to develop a relationship with your local
representative. Write them letters from time to time on a myriad of issues.
Not always bad letters. Write to congratulate them when they vote the right
way on something you care about. Over time you will demonstrate to them that
you are a rational person. It's not that hard to get on a first name basis
with your senator/congressman's head staffer. It's only a little more work
to accomplish the same thing with your senator/congressman.
Then when you write your zinger about freedom, or MV right, or something
else, they will know that you are normally rational, so this must be an
important issue.
The argument about the letter only getting to the staffer is usually correct,
but irrelevant. If you think the staffer isn't informing his boss when he
gets 500 letters on a particular subject, you are wrong. At the Federal
level, most politicians equate one written and mailed letter with 400 votes.
My bottom line is that freedom is never free, and victories are fleeting.
Constant vigilance is the price of freedom, and perhaps it should be. We
need to watch regularly. We need to learn the process and recognize what
stuff is merely a smokescreen and what is real. We need to learn the system
so that we know when we've won. The idea that we don't want to go public now
because they might slide it back in is ridiculous and naive. If you know the
system, you know it's gone this budget cycle. It may come back next year,
but it's gone for now. It's time to pull back, rejoice, and then man the
trenches again.
Doc
<A HREF="Chairman@CumberlandGOP.org">Chairman@CumberlandGOP.org</A>
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