4 ms·

> If you go and speak to your representative for a few minutes to try and convince them to support your position Give it a try. Let me know how it goes. If yo

> If you go and speak to your representative for a few minutes to try and convince them to support your position Give it a try. Let me know how it goes. If you don’t have a campaign donation lined up, you’re not getting in the door.

rascul 4y ago
I think it depends. I have little hope of speaking to one of my national representatives. At the state level, I can get to some of my representatives easily enough. Edit: Without money, I mean.
celtain 4y ago
I've talked to one of my senators, three of my congressman, and my mom's congresswoman. I'm not that rich and I certainly don't make political donations large enough for them to notice. Your cynicism might be warranted in certain states/districts, but my representatives have been reasonably responsive to this fairly average constituent.
- deepsquirrelnet 4y ago
  I’m honestly surprised. I have contacted my federal representatives asking for the opportunity to change their minds on issues many times in the last few years, and have never broken through the wall of automated responses. Although at the local level, it is not hard to find a willing ear. Sometimes I sincerely wonder if it is due in part to a lack of autonomy from the national parties. I think there is limited wiggle room to oppose the party line, except in cases where a lot of money is brought in, or a particular issue strongly jeopardizes the party’s control over an area.
  - rascul 4y ago
    > I think there is limited wiggle room to oppose the party line, I've heard this before and I suspect it's true.
refurb 4y ago
You don’t have experience then. My professor in college actually drafted a pro-entrepreneurship law in the office of his representative who then brought it to the floor for a vote. No money was exchanged.
- deepsquirrelnet 4y ago
  There is much decided in politics that I believe can be determined through reason. I don’t discount what you’re saying, but a lot of the work of the public political sector involves not just bringing attention to problems but also selling a solution. Corruption doesn’t always seem to lie in the identification of problems (although it could). The interface with the private sector is where I believe the government often fails to meet ethical standards. The experts in the telecom industry work for the telecom industry, for instance. If I believe a bill they wrote will cause harm to the public, there is no one within the benefitting industry that will argue on my behalf, except for myself.

rascul 4y ago

I think it depends. I have little hope of speaking to one of my national representatives. At the state level, I can get to some of my representatives easily enough. Edit: Without money, I mean.

celtain 4y ago

I've talked to one of my senators, three of my congressman, and my mom's congresswoman. I'm not that rich and I certainly don't make political donations large enough for them to notice. Your cynicism might be warranted in certain states/districts, but my representatives have been reasonably responsive to this fairly average constituent.

deepsquirrelnet 4y ago
I’m honestly surprised. I have contacted my federal representatives asking for the opportunity to change their minds on issues many times in the last few years, and have never broken through the wall of automated responses. Although at the local level, it is not hard to find a willing ear. Sometimes I sincerely wonder if it is due in part to a lack of autonomy from the national parties. I think there is limited wiggle room to oppose the party line, except in cases where a lot of money is brought in, or a particular issue strongly jeopardizes the party’s control over an area.
- rascul 4y ago
  > I think there is limited wiggle room to oppose the party line, I've heard this before and I suspect it's true.

refurb 4y ago

You don’t have experience then. My professor in college actually drafted a pro-entrepreneurship law in the office of his representative who then brought it to the floor for a vote. No money was exchanged.

deepsquirrelnet 4y ago
There is much decided in politics that I believe can be determined through reason. I don’t discount what you’re saying, but a lot of the work of the public political sector involves not just bringing attention to problems but also selling a solution. Corruption doesn’t always seem to lie in the identification of problems (although it could). The interface with the private sector is where I believe the government often fails to meet ethical standards. The experts in the telecom industry work for the telecom industry, for instance. If I believe a bill they wrote will cause harm to the public, there is no one within the benefitting industry that will argue on my behalf, except for myself.