Know what you’re for, as well as you know what you’re against. Write it down, memorize it, then relax and let it flow conversationally. Here, passion goes a long way, as long as you have an informative packet to leave behind. It does not have to be a multi-colored beauty, but it helps to at least be printed and housed in a simple easily accessible folder.
If petitions are your thing, it will be a hundred times more effective if you leave one with a person in a Congressional office than mass email it to the email cave. Not saying don’t sign online petitions, I do it all the time, but the salmon who swims only half way, fails the future of the species.
My ‘Advise and Consent,’ keep it to the top 3 or 4 on your hot list. Mine…
HR 505 (Balancing Act) the key to the Balancing Act is that it replaces sequester with something real. The reality is we can achieve balance in deficit reduction between revenue and cuts, and between non-defense cuts and defense cuts, to invest in job creation, and for other purposes. HR 505 would balance budget by closing loopholes that allow big corporations and Pentagon to not pay their fair tax responsibilities, as IRS requires you and me to do.
HR 12 (Voter Empowerment Act) without this one, we simply allow gerrymandering and photo ID euphemisms to keep walking us backwards until our voting rights diminish through a haze of conservative state houses. What’s more American than leading the world by the example of keeping up with the times: modernizing voter registration, promoting access to voting for individuals with disabilities, protecting the ability of individuals to exercise the right to vote in elections for Federal office. It’s a huge part of what defines America. HR 12 simply seeks to guarantee equal access for every citizen to vote. Surely our right to vote is at least as important as our right to own a gun.
HR 676 (Expanded and Improved Medicare for All) This finally accepts the reality that we’re all living longer and sooner or later, most of us need Dental care and long term care. HR 676 also creates equality of service for mental healthcare on par with our physical healthcare.
Think of Veterans after war, our aging parents and the destroyed lives of places like Sandy Hook, Aurora and Tucson. In 2013 the co-pay for mental healthcare is 50%. With this bill, unlike the Canadian system, our complete healthcare will be publically funded but privately delivered. Indeed, there is something for everyone in HR 676.