While it often seems that they have forgotten this crucial fact, our elected representatives work for us: We the People.

I spent some time working in DC for my Congressman back in 2007 and, in addition to my other duties, I worked a great deal with constituent correspondence. During my time there I handled tens of thousands of phone calls, emails, faxes and letters. My congressman’s office was above average in responsiveness to constituents and we worked hard to make sure that every form of contact got a response. However, some letters, faxes, emails and phone calls grabbed our attention more than others. These were the contacts which were most likely to carry weight and get mentioned to the Congressman.

With activism on the rise, more and more organizations encourage people to contact their representatives. Many employ blast faxes, form emails, phone scripts or postcards that you just have to sign and drop in the mail. These are all legitimate forms of contact but none of them will grab a staffer or Congressman’s attention. In my congressman’s office it was not unusual for us to make 1000 constituent contacts in a given day (emails+phone calls+faxes+letters). Out of that large number of contacts there might be only 10 that really grabbed our attention. The rest are tallied and responded to but don’t have much of an impact.
What I want to do here is give you some tips for effectively contacting your elected officials. The same rules generally apply whether you are calling Congress, your state legislature or your city councilman. If you follow these rules, your time will be much better spent and you are more likely to have a substantive impact on your representative’s actions!

Before I start breaking things down in terms of specific mediums of communication let me share some general rules: Put as much effort into preparing to contact your representative as you want them to put into their reply. Just like when you write a letter to a friend, if you want a substantive, well thought out reply then make sure your initial contact is more than a form letter or a flame email. One well thought out constituent contact has a greater impact than 50 form emails. In fact, in many cases we couldn’t even verify that an actual constituent had any part in the contact process. A number of organizations collect email address from members and then blast out form emails to congressmen without getting input from the members. This just makes life difficult for staffers and gives little advantage to your cause.

The number one key is to make the contact personal. The office is unlikely to respond unless they have reason to believe that a real, live constituent was the origin of the contact. If you show that you care, they will pay attention.
If you are sending a fax, sign it. Due to the prevalence of “blast-faxing,” we would not respond to a fax that was not personally signed. I’m not familiar with the systems on the state level but at the US Capitol all faxes show up basically as email. However, a well-written, signed fax makes a bigger impact than an email. Hand writing is better than typing, unless your handwriting is unclear, since this is further evidence of the strength of your conviction and that you are not some kind of machine.

Email is by far the most common medium of communication with Congressmen. They are easy to send, no postage is required and the time needed to type one up is low. However, the vast majority of the emails we received were form emails which were not customized at all. If it was clear that they were sent from a third party organization or website, then the emails were deleted. If they were just a form email submitted by the constituent then they were given a pretty formulaic response. However, if it was clear that the email was personally written, it received a personal answer. Make sure that you include a mailing address with your email. If you do, then it’s likely that you will get a physical piece of mail which lends itself to a greater feeling of accomplishment.

Part two of this blog piece will be posted shortly!

For well over 200 years we have enjoyed freedoms and liberties which have been unparalleled in the catalogue of human history. No nation, state or people have for such a length of time been afforded the protection and blessings which have been experienced under the American republic.

We often take these blessings for granted but each 4th of July affords us an opportunity to pay homage to the singularity of our nation and the unique sacrifices which our founding fathers, and generations of patriots since their day, have lain on the altar of liberty. Today we’re several months away from that day of celebration but we should find more opportunities than once a year to remind ourselves of this country’s beginning.

Our founding fathers pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honors when they signed that Declaration of Independence. This was no idle pledge. Many lost their lives in battle. Most lost what wealth they had in the support of the war that followed their declaration. What remained universally intact was their honor.

Every day, not just on the 4th of July, we should recall the sacrifices which have provided for our freedoms. Thank those who have served in our military, actively protecting our liberty. Make your voice known to those who represent you in our government.

A friend and fellow Sigma Chi, Pat Maloney (@PatMaloney on Twitter), passed on a link to this video. It’s a clip from the HBO Miniseries, John Adams, of the first reading of the Declaration of Independence. It’s quite a moving piece.

I wish we could have a better feeling of the emotions that the colonists felt upon first hearing the Declaration. It changed their world and has made ours possible!

Happy New Year!~ 

I  labored over my New Year’s resolutions, commitments, pledges and over all, what I like to call, the Hoo Ya. You know the “rally call.” I see 2010 as not just a new year and a new decade but the continuation of a new era. An era of American Patriots who are informed, engaged and stepping out of mediocrity and complacence to protect and defend the American way of life.

I have come to realize that freedom is not a destination, it is a lifestyle, a process by which one lives, and it needs constant and vigilant effort to maintain. Given that I have decided instead of making the typical New Year’s resolutions, to embrace a change of living techniques, ways of thinking and viewing of life

My family and I will survey our personal lives, our own home and our local community for changes needed to coalesce people, be bridge builders and ensure freedom.
We will continue connecting with those around us, interacting and discussing our concerns, steadily building networks of friends. After all a nation by definition is a community of people. If we intend on mending our nation we have to mend its people. There is a saying- “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Having a vested interest in our neighbors and them in us is a huge step in the protection of individual freedoms.
In our home will use our time wisely cutting out those things that are time suckers such as TV, video games, etc, so we can read truly important books like, “The 5000 Year Leap” and “The Real George Washington”. We will do our due diligence to research the daily news for truth and the too-often inaccurate e-mails we receive in an effort to be genuinely informed and not merely reactionary. And we will re-evaluate frequently our motivations.

Last, but by far the most important act is that we continue to pray. We will ask questions daily based on a list of priorities we prepared as a family; God, Family, Church/friends, Country and Career. We will ask for guidance in how we can most effectively spend our time, energy and resources. We resolve to pray earnestly for our leaders to become and remain men and women of godly principles and ask that holy and wise leaders be raised up to help guide us from this present darkness and confusion.
It will take time to get back to daylight, there is no quick fix. If we commit to work diligently together and vow to never again become complacent, to teach our children to be vigilant, I am confident we will prevail!
I look forward to meeting many of you as I travel across our state to help encourage Arkansans to become informed, engaged and empowered!

Happy New Year and richest blessing to you and your family. May God continue to bless America.

God’s Speed,

Laurie Masterson