Writing to Politicians

I got a PM asking me for tips on writing to politicians and after i replied I thought that maybe others would be interested in what I had to say. Below is what I wrote in the PM, and this goes for writing ANY politician, whether it is the Mayor of your city or the President of the US.

"To me the biggest thing in writing letters and/or emails is to follow, what has become Grumpy's Rule: Don't say anything that you wouldn't say in person to their face.

Keep it short and to the point. limit letters to two points/subjects and emails to one thing. If there is more you want to talk about about, send two letters or emails.

Don't ramble and don't provide a bunch of explanations to prove your point(s). They already know all the pros and cons so just state what you believe is best for the city, state, country, etc.

Remember that, whether you are writing to the Prisident or the Mayor, the person you are writing to probably will never really see the letter or email. Some staffer will read it and make a check mark for or against the item and prepare a reply to you to be signed with an auto pen.

That being said, the more people that write the better the politican will be in understanding what his/her constituents want and will act accordingly. I know from talking to Congressional and Senate staffers that they figure that for every person that writes there are X amount of others that feel the same way, depending on the subject. Also, I believe that letters count for more than emails but emails are getting to be the communication of choice and snail mail letters are going by the wayside.

I hope this helps,"

Grumpy