Great article in WaPo on the effect mass emails are having on Congress. I think they may create more staff and intern positions (a new bureaucracy!)…Select quotes:
“According to a new study, electronic messages to the House of Representatives doubled to 99 million from 2000 to 2004. In the Senate, the number of e-mails more than tripled to 83 million during the same period.”
“Lawmakers have to struggle to keep from drowning in the deluge while interest groups and their consultants scramble to find new ways to inundate them.” <<We keep wanting representative democracy, darn people aren’t we?>>
“But only 17 percent of the House offices and 38 percent of the Senate offices have their acts together enough to answer all the e-mails they receive with e-mail responses.” <<and those are usually along the lines of, we have received, we are buried>>)
“Most offices reply to some or all of their e-mail with postal letters, a time consuming and cumbersome chore. The main reason for this is lawmakers fear that their return e-mails might be altered in ways that could create political problems for them.” <<so that’s how those Hillary stories get started>>
As one frustrated legislative director told the foundation: “[There is] too much mail, not enough staff. Not enough time to do it, particularly when in session. [We’re] really losing sight of the important letters that come in — like the three-page letter from Grandma as opposed to those floods of mail where all they’re doing is clicking a button. It’s insane.” <<Actually, what’s insane is how out of touch many Congressional offices are. If you were doing a good job, you wouldn’t be getting so much mail.>>
“And once the e-mails penetrate Congress, staffers, for all their griping, usually take them into account. The survey shows that congressional offices at least tally and take note of the vast majority of electronic messages they receive, even if they are mass produced.”
<<pour it on Grandma, but Personalize it..and personalize it by starting at the Top of the mass email. Make that first paragraph Your Paragraph>>
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/10/AR2005071001011.html?referrer=email
