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Entry bubble How Does Your Representative Vote?

By: Joanne | June 24, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

U.S. Capitol buildingYou know how it goes; you pay a little attention to political candidates before an election, and you uphold your responsibility to vote for the candidate of your choice. Once they’re in office you’re too busy to think about what they’re doing with the power you’ve given them.

At the national level, sometimes we see news stories about hot topics and bills being passed by the U.S. Congress. I’ve often seen people write in to USA.gov wanting to contact a high profile member of the House or Senate in order to express an opinion on a topic.

There’s something you need to know about contacting a member of Congress – they answer to their constituents, that is, the people in their voting district. If you really want to get your message through to the Congress, you’ve got to keep tabs on the House Member or Senator from your voting district. When they do something you like, let them know! When they do something you don’t like, let them know! Sometimes I feel like only special interest groups have influence over their members of Congress, but then I also wonder if the special interest groups are the only voices being heard because the rest of us just grumble about public policy in our kitchens.

| View Comments [7] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: bill   congress   house   joanne   law   legislation   representative   senate   senator   vote  

Comments (7):

blue comment bubble Posted by bobtenn on June 24, 2008 at 12:27 PM EDT

Our govenment does not listen,,,,,,,,,those in congress do nothing,, but get paid,,, we need simple things done,,, drill for oil,,,stop illegal immigration,,,,,,,,stop needless spending,, 38 percent of spending is for special interest,, double the pay of our military,,,, take away half of nasa spending,,,,,,,,,,and all bills must pass separate, no add ons,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,no lifetime jobs, such as the supreme court,, they have allowed more killing than osama could have ever done,, they are out of contact,,, let judges be voted for,, no more freeloaders,, and appointments,,,,,,,,,,,no more raises for the senate or congress,,,and always have a balanced budget,,,,,,,,,these are all basic simple rules and guidelines that need to be followed,,,, and no more big digs for Kennedy,,,he has been one of the most unresponsible people in our government,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

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blue comment bubble Posted by canoe on June 24, 2008 at 03:06 PM EDT

bobtenn provides one reason to feel relief--it does not listen to him!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Joanne on June 24, 2008 at 03:14 PM EDT

Hi bobtenn,
Sometimes the problem isn't that "the government" isn't listening. I mean, I hear you loud and clear, but just because I work for the government, doesn't mean that I have the power to make the changes you suggest. I don't. The trick (and it can be tricky) is to direct your comments at the right people, and elected officials are the place to go. On USA.gov you'll find links to contact information for your elected officials at: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

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blue comment bubble Posted by DOHTALKS on June 25, 2008 at 07:49 AM EDT

Perhaps an assessment from the inside on the best ways to contact your representative in order to get your pint accross would be in order. By best way I mean the form (e-mail, letter etc.), the approach to the subject (long vs short letter), the frequency of contact, and so on.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Citizen Jmaximus on June 27, 2008 at 10:42 AM EDT

How about a way to keep track on what our elected representatives vote on? Where can we find Joe Congressman's voting record and what laws they propose? BTW bobtenn try reading the constitution more on what it says about the judicial appointments, and cutting back on Fixed News or Flush Dimbaugh.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Joanne on June 27, 2008 at 02:48 PM EDT

Citizen Jmaximus,
You can track legislative votes on the House and Senate websites. I can't create hyperlinks when posting a comment, but here are the urls. You can copy and paste them into your browser's address bar.
U.S. House of Representatives: http://clerk.house.gov/legislative/legvotes.html
U.S. Senate: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/a_three_sections_with_teasers/votes.htm

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blue comment bubble Posted by buzzy on July 13, 2008 at 12:13 PM EDT

Why are the elected Senators, Congressman, etc., allowed to accept their large salaries and remain absent from their elected positions. I believe when they make decisions to pursue a new career such as President............they should resign from their present tax payer funded positions paying them in excess of $160,000 per year. What private citizen could seek new employment and maintain his current employment, i.e. salary, benefits?

The people of the United States are losing in every possible direction with any of the candidates the Republican or Democratic party has given the citizenry of the United States.

Neither one of them will close the borders...........they wish to provide amnesty to the 12 to 13 million "illegals" in this country. They have broken the law and are no different than any other individual who has broken the law.

We do not worry about the thieves from Enron or Tyco who have broken the law and now must be punished. "Too bad for their families". Both John McCain and Barack Obama express concerns about breaking up families. Thier families will remain intact when they stop "breaking the law".

Our political system is a disaster and the only way to start fixing this system is when we got to the polls to vote. VOTE these political stooges out of office. Washington is overloaded with Harvard Lawyers who are ruining this country everyday of the week.

Did NAFTA do anything for the working class American? Yes, it destroyed their jobs. Does FREE TRADE do anything for Americans? Yes, thier jobs have been exported. The "Illegals" will be filling the balance of the jobs. This is what happens when we allow "Lobbyists" to influence our Politicians, as if they were not sleezy enough, now they are being purchased by Corporate America. A Lobbyist is nothing more than a representative of Corporate Special Interest with a suitcase full of money looking for a Senator or Congressman to bribe. This is the America we have, thanks to the "Low Life Lawyer Senators and Congressman in Washington"

The only jobs that are created in America are those created by the service sector which the pay will be in the minimum wage category.

Our Automotive Industry is "off-shore" and our beloved Washington elite would like to get our Aircraft Industry out of the United States as well.

If " We The People" is important, it is time to CHANGE Washington, D.C. to elected representatives who act on behalf of the American Public.

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