Does sending the opposition emails really help?

[purelyscientific]

I received an email today asking me to send an email to my home state senators and oppose a few bills, among which included a bill which would prevent the sale of e-liquid in NYS, as well as a couple others. I sent in my emails as usual urging them to not approve the bills.

Then I got to thinking. Does my generic CASAA email really help anything? Are these senators secretaries actually reading all of these emails or are they just deleting them in bulk? I imagine that after seeing the first CASAA letter then they probably just mass delete the rest right? It's illogical to think they actually spend time reading the same generic email template over and over ad nauseam.

I imagine what happens is that they see the massive influx of these generic letters and tell their senator that they have been receiving a high number of people opposing the bills. Perhaps they even send him a copy of one. But even if they do that, does it really help our cause?

Do you think that getting a bunch of emails will change their thinking even in the slightest? After all, they are paid heavily by tobacco lobbyists, correct?

EDIT- I suppose sending them these emails in bulk makes it hard for them to ignore that we have a problem with these bills. But does it make it hard for them to pass the bills? I honestly don't think so. I'd love for that to be true though. If someone sees this from a different perspective I would love to hear it. Thanks.

 

[Rat2chat2]

for this post. I did that once for a source I cannot remember. I thought I was making a difference but a lot of the addresses where incorrect and I got a lot of them back. I joined CASSA and feel like I am getting more reliable information. I participate in their call to actions. You have to start somewhere. And if everyone does a small part. . . I think a difference can be made and our voices heard. Seems like everyday I read or hear about another right being taken away and if burns my tail feathers. (figure of speech)

 

[Nermal]

Might help; can't hurt.

 

[purelyscientific]

That is precisely the reason I continue to send the emails Nermal; It can't hurt. *shrugs* (Y)

Regardless, I think the overwhelming majority of senators are just going to do what they feel is best(or what they are paid the most to do) and just ignore any attempt to reach out to them with scientific data or anything that really matters.

 

[JustJulie]

Form emails are of some value, but primarily if they come in huge numbers . . . and there is no state where I can honestly say that CASAA has "huge numbers" in terms of its membership . . . but we continue to grow every day. With each campaign we launch, we obtain more members.

Frankly, the best thing you can do is PERSONALIZE your email. The CASAA emails are fully customizable, and we encourage people to take a moment to add your story and to make whatever additional points you wish to make (but please do so politely).

Also, CALL your legislators. You will rarely reach your legislator directly, but you can share your views with the person answering the phone and ask them to pass it along. If you get an answering machine, leave a message with your views. It seems as if people have an aversion to picking up the phone to call their elected officials, and I really don't understand why. The talking points are right there in the Call to Action and/or the email, and we provide you with a phone number to reach your senator/representative. These people work for YOU. Let them know what you, as a voter, want them to do and why.

 

[KLR650Tagg]

See my post here, post # 12: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...9976-look-garbage-our-great-government-2.html

The reason i said is because i watched my ex father in law struggle with this for years. He was the Lieutenant Governor of a state i will not mention {now deceased}, and one of the biggest problems his office had was getting his constituency to engage in issues before the state. You do actually have a voice, the vast majority wont contact their elected officials for whatever reason. These laws get passed because they are required to listen to the people who talk to them, and who talks to them? Special interest talks to them, extensively. YOU Must contact your elected officials, in many cases, its illegal {in some form) for them to solicited your opinion ( i may be incorrect here) Complaining online, or at work or wherever does nothing to change things, they dont look to forums, or kitchen tables to form policy. You must contact them with your well regarded thoughts.

 

[pamdis]

I have head many who have actually worked in/with different representatives who say calls and letters do matter. But I was floored when I head this opinion this week::

Washington Journal Representative Bill Flores | Video | C-SPAN.org

At about the 43 minute mark

I HAD ABOUT 400 CONSTITUENTS THAT CALLED IN, AND THEY WERE EXTREMELY ANGRY AND TELLING ME TO VOTE FOR ONE OF THE OTHER FOLKS OTHER THAN SPEAKER BOEHNER. I REPRESENT 700,000 PEOPLE. JUST BECAUSE I DID NOT DO WHAT THE 400 WANTED ME TO DO DOES NOT MEAN I AM A BAD MEMBER OF CONGRESS. THEY CERTAINLY WOULD NOT LIKE IT IF 1000 PRO-ABORTION PEOPLE CALLED IN TO ME AND SAID WE WANT YOU TO APPROVE ABORTION AND I DID IT BECAUSE THEY ARE THE LOUDEST SCREAMING PEOPLE. THAT IS NOT THE WAY THIS PROCESS WORKS. WE ARE REPRESENTATIVES OF SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND, AND I CANNOT LET THE LOUDEST GROUP OVERTAKE DECISIONS FOR THE 700,000.

So I imagine that if they calls reinforce what the rep already wants to do, it's support for his position. If the calls oppose what he already wants to do, they are just a loud group trying to bully everyone.

 

[ebriel]

Great thread!

Personally, I have to say that here in the USA, we basically live in a country where the "government" is actually run by Wall Street and Big Business/Corporations (who now count as "people" for some idiotic reason).

Yes, most of our legislators either vote for what they believe in - or what they get paid the most to believe in, although there are certainly some that are good and honest.

So I agree, it might help and can't hurt. As well as agreeing with the post by pamdis (and many others).