A copy of an e-mail which I just sent to my Congressman, Representative Howard Berman (D-CA). I wish I could say he wasn't on our side. Sadly he is. This may not mean much to you, but it pisses me off and I consider it just the sort of waste that we should be getting rid of.
The e-mail is as follows:
Dear Congressman Berman,
Yesterday in the mail, I received a large envelope from you, one which probably cost more than the standard 39 cents to mail as the contents were not light. In place of a stamp, I saw the following notice:
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20515-0526
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PUBLIC DOCUMENT
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THIS MAILING WAS PREPARED, PUBLISHED AND MAILED AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE
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OFFICIAL BUSINESS
"This looks pretty important," I thought, seeing such a message. I open it to find inside a glossy, 'best wishes' calendar for 2007. I don't know how you paid for that, but I am sure it wasn't cheap, especially with those expensive-looking professional photos of the Capitol building on every other page. I'm guessing that money came from the taxpayers too.
Congressman, the only time I expect anyone to give me a present which I paid for out of my own pocket is when I have kids and they have an allowance. I wonder, how many homeless could you have helped with that money you spent sending this to me? There are dozens in my area and this is supposed to be one of the nicer parts of North Hollywood. What about using it to help fight corruption? Mailing all of those calendars to your constituents couldn't have been cheap.
There is no election coming up for you. This didn't come out of a campaign chest. Frankly, if I want a calendar and I have to pay for it, I'll choose one with more interesting images.
Next time you wish to spend my money to send me a gift, make it a check or cash.