Today
is the first day of a new 105 day session. Those we elected will begin
legislative
hearings and ultimately will make hundreds of decisions that
will affect our lives.
During
the next 105 days, we hope you will take the time to introduce yourself
to your
legislators and let them know how you feel about the issues you
care about. The
squeaky wheel usually does get the grease. Be kind,
polite, and respectful, but be
squeaky. And get your friends to be
squeaky too.
Whether
you're considering if you should get involved or wondering how, here
are
eight things to remember about dealing with the legislature.
1. In politics, might makes right:
The ideas that win in the legislature aren't necessarily
the best
ideas, but the ideas with the most political support. You may be able to
prove
that your position will save money and lives, but if those who
disagree with you have
more political influence, they're probably going
to win anyway. You don't have to like
it, but you should believe it. So
the key to influencing policy decisions is to make
sure that supporting
good ideas is politically advantageous. That means bringing
people with
you.
2. Everyone has good intentions:
No one goes to the legislature saying, "I will become
a tool that
interest groups use to accomplish their purposes at the expense of the
public." They may have bad ideas, and they may eventually regret some of
their
decisions, but in their own mind they are generally doing the
right thing for the right
reasons. So if you want to build a
relationship with your elected officials and ultimately
influence them,
don't begin your conversation by accusing them of willfully causing
harm.
Give their motives the benefit of the doubt in the same way you
hope others will do that
for you.
3. Yes, you can make a difference:
By virtue of being in elected office, many legislators
are inherently
insecure. In most cases, state elected officials were elected by a few
thousand votes and some by only a few hundred (or less). They know that
upsetting
a significant number of voters is a good way to lose an
election. As a result, your
ability to generate even 20 phone calls or
emails in a single day on an issue can make
a big impact. They know that
voters who care enough to contact them about an issue
will also be
willing to cast a vote on that issue as well.
4. Legislators are people too:
None of us has performed perfectly in our jobs. We all
need
encouragement and we are all subject to being worn down by constant
criticism.
Yes, when someone runs for office there is a lot they are
volunteering for, but
encouragement and kindness is universally
appreciated. In your dealings with elected
officials, kindness is not
only the right thing to do, it's also much more likely to be effective.
5. Quantity is better than quality:
Because the best argument doesn't always win, it
is a better use of
time to spend two hours convincing 5 or 10 other people who share
your
perspective to contact their legislators than to spend it writing an
irrefutable treatise
on why your position is the
right position. Of course you want to make good arguments,
but good
arguments without public support often don't make it very far. So when
it comes
to communication with legislators, think quantity more than
quality.
6. Legislators aren't experts on everything:
Every year, thousands of bills are introduced
and hundreds are voted
on. But it simply isn't possible for a legislator to be an expert on
every issue or understand the details of each bill. For the most part,
legislators specialize
on a few issues and then take advice from those
they trust. They don't want to be ignorant
any more than you want them
to be ignorant, but they know better than to believe everything
they
hear. So build credibility and become the educator they need on the
issues you care
about.
7. Personal communication is better communication:
Lots of people ask what the
most effective way to communicate with a
legislator is. Really, it's probably not that
different than the most
effective way to communicate with you. If someone shows up
at your home
or office to personally share concerns with you, that will probably make
more of an impact on you than if they send an email. In general, here's
the most effective
ways to communicate with your elected officials:
(1) personal visit
(2) hand-written letter
(3) personal phone call
(4) personal email or hotline message
(5) form email
While
more personal communication is more effective, it remains true that
quantity is
better than quality. One hundred phone calls means a lot
more than one personal visit.
But one hundred personal visits is much
better than one hundred phone calls. So be
personal, but make sure you
get lots of other people to do the same.
8. 1-800-562-6000: If
you want to vent on the go, use the legislative hotline number.
Program
it into your phone right now because it allows you to contact your
legislators
even if you don't know who they are. When you call this
number you'll reach a legislative
hotline operator who will tell you who
represents you once you provide your address
then deliver whatever
message you want to the Governor, your State Senator, and
both your
State Representatives. It isn't the best way to communicate with your
legislators,
but sometimes it's the best you can do and it's a lot
better than doing nothing.
Thank
you for being part of the team to create a culture in Washington that
recognizes
the significance and the sanctity of the family.
To learn more about about the legislature and how you can help make a difference,
throughout the session.
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