Many larger bills, like the previously mentioned SOPA, end up with a website dedicated to contacting your representatives, but not all bills get that kind of attention. You might feel passionate about a major bill that you'd rather send a personal letter instead of a form letter, so we'll outline the best way to outline and send off your letter so it gets noticed and read. After all, if a bill passes or fails, it's going to change your life in some way.
How to Find Your Representatives
How to Write a Letter of Support or Opposition
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
Many larger bills, like the previously mentioned SOPA, end up with a website dedicated to contacting your representatives, but not all bills get that kind of attention. You might feel passionate about a major bill that you'd rather send a personal letter instead of a form letter, so we'll outline the best way to outline and send off your letter so it gets noticed and read. After all, if a bill passes or fails, it's going to change your life in some way.
How to Find Your Representatives
How to Write a Letter of Support or Opposition
Informative article. But I assure you. No representative will change an opinion or pay attention to his/her constituents wishes unless they get the go ahead from their Criminal Company bosses or agreement from the Corrupt Political Class. If a decision is not going to benefit them or other members of the elite with power and/or money... it's not going to happen. Qu'ils mangent de la brioche.
Many larger bills, like the previously mentioned SOPA, end up with a website dedicated to contacting your representatives, but not all bills get that kind of attention. You might feel passionate about a major bill that you'd rather send a personal letter instead of a form letter, so we'll outline the best way to outline and send off your letter so it gets noticed and read. After all, if a bill passes or fails, it's going to change your life in some way.
How to Find Your Representatives
How to Write a Letter of Support or Opposition
Informative article. But I assure you. No representative will change an opinion or pay attention to his/her constituents wishes unless they get the go ahead from their Criminal Company bosses or agreement from the Corrupt Political Class. If a decision is not going to benefit them or other members of the elite with power and/or money... it's not going to happen. Qu'ils mangent de la brioche.
Agreed! I guess that is why lobbyist exist? Otherwise we simply kill, RIGHT? Why not? I love cake!
Many larger bills, like the previously mentioned SOPA, end up with a website dedicated to contacting your representatives, but not all bills get that kind of attention. You might feel passionate about a major bill that you'd rather send a personal letter instead of a form letter, so we'll outline the best way to outline and send off your letter so it gets noticed and read. After all, if a bill passes or fails, it's going to change your life in some way.
How to Find Your Representatives
How to Write a Letter of Support or Opposition
Informative article. But I assure you. No representative will change an opinion or pay attention to his/her constituents wishes unless they get the go ahead from their Criminal Company bosses or agreement from the Corrupt Political Class. If a decision is not going to benefit them or other members of the elite with power and/or money... it's not going to happen. Qu'ils mangent de la brioche.
Agreed! I guess that is why lobbyist exist? Otherwise we simply kill, RIGHT? Why not? I love cake!
You probably do... but that wasn't an offer for you to have any. That's why the phase "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" is an insult. Brioche is a higher quality pastry, more expensive than bread. Telling someone who is poor "to eat cake" is like laughing in their face, because you know they can't afford bread, they certainly can't afford Brioche. That's what the Political Class has been doing to us for years. There's a lot of similarities between our current Political Class in Washington and the elites that holed themselves up at Versailles, away from the populace. And you know what happened next.
The Liberals GOP Twin wrote: Informative article. But I assure you. No representative will change an opinion or pay attention to his/her constituents wishes unless they get the go ahead from their Criminal Company bosses or agreement from the Corrupt Political Class. If a decision is not going to benefit them or other members of the elite with power and/or money... it's not going to happen. Qu'ils mangent de la brioche.
Maybe I'm overly optimistic at times, or naive, but I think that if enough citizens wrote in about a specific piece of legislation, or concerning one issue, that it would make a difference because despite their corporate interests feeding them, they are still ultimately employed by us and if they don't listen to what the majority of their constituents want, they will lose their jobs (yes, I know it doesn't happen enough, but it can, and does, still happen).
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
The Liberals GOP Twin wrote: Informative article. But I assure you. No representative will change an opinion or pay attention to his/her constituents wishes unless they get the go ahead from their Criminal Company bosses or agreement from the Corrupt Political Class. If a decision is not going to benefit them or other members of the elite with power and/or money... it's not going to happen. Qu'ils mangent de la brioche.
Maybe I'm overly optimistic at times, or naive, but I think that if enough citizens wrote in about a specific piece of legislation, or concerning one issue, that it would make a difference because despite their corporate interests feeding them, they are still ultimately employed by us and if they don't listen to what the majority of their constituents want, they will lose their jobs (yes, I know it doesn't happen enough, but it can, and does, still happen).
And they loose their job... so what? The next one we send up there will be primed and ready to fill the shoes of the one that left. No one gets a seat in Washington anymore unless they are going to be of some use to the Political Class and the Corporate Criminals. You see that live and personal with every election cycle. For the few misfits that slip in there, they will either succumb to the power and the money or else they won't last for more than one term. And statistically, the corrupt elites outnumber any of the few goody-two-shoes. Do you really think that Washington really represents us, for our benefit? Sure, there is a trickle down, sort of trickle down corruption, so at the local level, some people benefit, special interest is satisfied, the regional crony capitalist runs things here at these lower level, unions get a fair slice of the local handouts and the big money corporate donors (on both sides) have their palms greased.
But us... no... we get the chafe and flash... if we are lucky. Are you overly optimistic... I don't think so... you're "party" is currently in power, you think that they are working for you, you think you're getting your chance to have your ideologies advanced, so, you hope, you trust that things change. And if a conservative is elected in 2012, the other side will suddenly feel optimistic, oh goody, we will turn things around. No... that's not the way it works. Both teams have their partisan useful idiots... and they wave the party flag, feel like they've accomplished something and happily drool in the corner waiting for their next crumb of bread. And the Political Class gain more money and power along with the Corporate Criminals.
I've said this before... our founding ancestors would have been shooting by now.
The Liberals GOP Twin wrote: And they loose their job... so what? The next one we send up there will be primed and ready to fill the shoes of the one that left. No one gets a seat in Washington anymore unless they are going to be of some use to the Political Class and the Corporate Criminals. You see that live and personal with every election cycle. For the few misfits that slip in there, they will either succumb to the power and the money or else they won't last for more than one term. And statistically, the corrupt elites outnumber any of the few goody-two-shoes. Do you really think that Washington really represents us, for our benefit? Sure, there is a trickle down, sort of trickle down corruption, so at the local level, some people benefit, special interest is satisfied, the regional crony capitalist runs things here at these lower level, unions get a fair slice of the local handouts and the big money corporate donors (on both sides) have their palms greased.
This is what puzzles me the most about you - you get that a single representative will not be able to buck the system, or even that the reps as a whole are unwilling and/or unable to change the status quo of the system as it now operates, yet you refuse to support the OWS movement which is trying to fix the inherent corruption so that this is less of an issue. Very perplexing.
The Liberals GOP Twin wrote: But us... no... we get the chafe and flash... if we are lucky. Are you overly optimistic... I don't think so... you're "party" is currently in power, you think that they are working for you, you think you're getting your chance to have your ideologies advanced, so, you hope, you trust that things change. And if a conservative is elected in 2012, the other side will suddenly feel optimistic, oh goody, we will turn things around. No... that's not the way it works. Both teams have their partisan useful idiots... and they wave the party flag, feel like they've accomplished something and happily drool in the corner waiting for their next crumb of bread. And the Political Class gain more money and power along with the Corporate Criminals.
Ahh, more assumptions. I don't have a party, I understand that they haven't been working for me (it's why I support the OWS movement); it's why I switched to being an Independent 3 years ago. I still vote Dem most of the time because their positions on issues more closely align with mine, but I will vote for a moderate Republican if I think they are the better candidate because though I am socially liberal, I am fiscally conservative - we should be able to pay for everything we implement, not borrow against debt or the future earnings of our children (which is a position I've found most who support Democrats have). If I thought it was strong enough of a party, I would vote for Green Party candidates but I recognize that they will get nothing accomplished unless voted in as a significant enough percentage to force Dems and Republicans to negotiate and compromise. Until then, I agree with you that nothing will change with a switch in power b/c nothing has changed with switches for the last 30 years - we're stuck with politicians who don't work for us. For now. Change is coming.
The Liberals GOP Twin wrote: I've said this before... our founding ancestors would have been shooting by now.
I agree. But, I hope that we've evolved enough that bloodshed won't be necessary during this period of punctuated equilibrium.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
The truth is, a candidate can tell you a lot more about what they're going to do via their actions and their associations than their advertisements and speeches. And thanks to the work of a lot of great watchdog groups, a lot of that information is now publicly available online.
In 2012, don't just listen to what the candidates have to say, or even listen to what everybody else has to say about them. If you can, meet directly with them, too. Book some travel to Washington (April is a great time to visit, for the Cherry Blossoms), meet with your member of Congress, and participate in democracy.
Some of the websites listed in the article (there are more!)
Project Vote Smart
The Voter's Self Defense System
OpenGovernment
a version of
OpenCongress
for your state legislature (California, Texas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Maryland or Minnesota only)
Open States
For everyone else
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
In a surprise move today, Representative Eric Cantor(R-VA) announced that he will stop all action on SOPA, effectively killing the bill. This move was most likely due to several things. One of those things is that SOPA and PIPA met huge online protest against the bills.
The online protests about the bill were surprising and large. They ranged anywhere from callng Representatives, companies, and senators to get them to change their mind, to actively moving domain's away from and targeting the business model of the companies that supported/lobbied for the bill.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
