The 111th Congress has been sworn in, and the nation will soon have a new president. With liberals controlling the White House and Congress, we conservatives will have plenty to howl about as the Democrats attempt to fix every ill in their chymeric quest to build a perfect society.Being outraged does no good unless you do something about it. Otherwise, it’s just blind rage, and we already have enough of that. Here’s my simple three step plan to make yourself heard:
Find out who your elected representatives are
Go to http://www.congress.org and enter your zip code. Entering Zip+4 is even better, since that will get you down to your state representatives as well. This site has mucho information on bills before congress. It also has links to your representatives’ official websites where you can contact them.
Research
Just how liberal or conservative is your senator or congresswoman?http://www.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/ has the unbiased, non-partisan answer. For a conservative perspective, you can go to http://www.acuratings.org. I don’t have a good authoritative source for progressives, but if you’re sophisticated enough to know you are a progressive, you’re probably already plugged in. http://www.congress.org is also an excellent research site.
Write
No stamps, no envelopes. Use the link from Congress.org or go directly to the House or Senate website. Each congressman and senator has his own website with an area where you can send her a message. It’s as easy as surfing the web.
OTHER TIPS
- Do your homework. Get the facts, not rumor. Avoid extreme left and extreme right sources. These sites are often identified by screaming headlines, garish fonts and outrageous claims.
- Know where your elected official stands. Party is not always a predictor of position on an issue
- Type and edit your message in a text editor, then cut and paste
- Be brief and be logical. Rambling, incoherent messages are not effective
- Be courteous. You’ll be more effective. Would you be willing to listen to someone calling you names?
- Write to encourage and thank, not just complain. This includes writing officials from other districts and states to thank them for taking a courageous stand. Politicians love praise.
Write early, write often. Add your voice to the debate. You may think it does no good, you’re just one person. But, just as every vote counts, so does every message.
