posted
CLARIFICATION of who we are writing letters to!
Not sure....but I think some folks may have posted addresses/emails for their State House Reps and Senators. Letters to these people will be meaningless re:Chris Smith's Member List.
You need to be writing your US Congressmen!!!!!!! Find your contact info here:
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress
I will be writing to my two senators and the representative to Congress who represents my district from the state of Massachusetts.
Would hate to have anyone waste their efforts writing to your state reps and senators!
This Member List Chris Smith(Representative from NJ) is getting colleagues to sign on to...will eventually be turned in to Dr. Julie Gerberding at the CDC...you know...that outfit that posted the IDSA Guidelines almost immediately!?
-------------------- nan Posts: 2135 | From Tick Country | Registered: Oct 2000
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Ann-OH
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2020
posted
Hey, Nan, I thought the action was to CALL
your representatives immediately yesterday so they would sign on the the Member Letter that Representative Chris Smith sent to them electronically.
At least that is the way I read Pat Smith's message:
[quote] NEW! URGENT ACTION NEEDED, TIME SENSITIVE
Update: An electronic Member Letter has been sent to all Members of the US House of Representatives by Congressman Christopher Smith.
The letter ultimately will be sent to Dr Julie Gerberding, CDC Director, on behalf of all of the Congressmen who have signed onto it. It addresses the IDSA guidelines, their impact, their development process, and concerns about why the CDC has these guidelines on its website, and why other guidelines are not recognized. We need high numbers of congressmen signed on��not a bill, so easy to sign on.
Action: All need to contact your own (1) US House Rep, DC office only (if you already called, call again).
Tell him/her to sign NOW onto the Member Letter on the Lyme disease guidelines circulated by Congressman Christopher Smith (NJ). Tell them the guidelines hurt you, their constituents.
Your Rep can contact Tim Lynagh, Legislative Director for Representative Chris Smith (NJ), at (202) 225-3765 with questions or for a copy of the Member Letter on Lyme disease if they cannot find theirs.
Lyme Groups should contact all congressmen within their range (area they cover). Find your Congressman on http://www.visi.com/juan/congress[end quote]
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
I have to laugh...
Politics 101
I was as messed up as anyone trying to sort through politics and who is who. I DO vote.. but I don't get the jist of some of this stuff.. cause I've never had to do it.
Soooooo..
Now that I am one pebble smarter than an oyster.. maybe this will help?
I've been on the phone for two days now.. with ALL my states Reps... and am 2 short of 100 percent getting them signed on.
One fellow thinks perhaps he is "too big for his britches"... as he was just promoted or something to Majority leader... and they claim they get soooooooo many letters they just don't like to bother and don't want to do them all!!!! HELLO!!! Isn't that their job? (I need to work on my IDIOT skills)
And.. one more who claims they only have one desk and one phone cause they are moving after this session... boo hoo hoo... and can't find the letter... and are too busy to look.
I'm working on them both very HARD though...
So anyway.. Maybe this will help?
Call your UNITED STATES HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES members.
So you will call... NOT US Senators... NOT state Senators or House members...
ONLY
US House of Representatives.
By typing in your zipcode at the site Ann-OH provided... you will find yours.
Good luck!!! And keep going till the session closes. they are still there till 10 PM tonight... and MAYBE tomorrow as well.
posted
Seems like requests such as this only one or two days before the session ends are likely to not attract enough attention, especially when we are also being told to call westchester, contact legislators on federal lyme bill, sign petitions, etc. Why not just wait until the new congress convenes in about a month? This letter doesn't really have any deadline, unlike the legislation.
A lot of people don't check in with lymenet everyday, so longer lead time is needed.
Not trying to be a naysayer. Just think emergency calls and the multiple actions are a bit confusing.
But anyone who reads this thread should go ahead and do as they are asking.
Hey, organizers, how about a little more lead time on actions in future?
At the end of a session, there is a general office scramble, and also legislators are moving stuff out who lost in the election too. This is a very disturbed time for them and they are going to be distracted by all the things that have to be done before end of session.
Here is how the Washington Post describes the current scene:
"About 180 offices in the House will be moved over 21 days, with workers _ some on staff, others brought in from the outside _ laboring six days a week and aiming to swap 10 offices a day.
The goal is to finish by Christmas. Congress reconvenes Jan. 4.
Election losses make new offices available every two years. First dibs on that space went to House members with designs on more spacious settings and according to their seniority. Newly elected members chose offices by lottery on Nov. 17."
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Ann-OH
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2020
posted
Tincup, may I ask what you got your state Reps signed on to?
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
I agree Lou... not enough lead time. It would seem this shouldn't happen.. but for some reason it does. I do know that sometimes the timing is important because of things we don't know about behind the scenes... but still .. I agree. VERY hard to do it all and be so rushed!!!
Especially by a not-so-good-in-a-rush gal, like me.
Ann-Oh...
The Congress- House Members- have all signed the Lyme Letter. All but ONE now.. and I am suppose to contact that ONE again in the morning... and I still hold out SOME hope.
This is my first attempt to try to do this type of action .. and it was TOUGH.. but I am learning.. and will hopefully be better at it the next time around. Right now.. completely exhausted.
I did half way read your post about the other petition... between 49 other things I was doing today. I appreciate the explanation.. which to be honest.. I will need to go back and reread to understand and act on. Just too much going on to do more at the moment.
I wish I could combine efforts with other things.. but right now these Congressional offices are so messed up with moving.. I doubt anyone can get much accomplished... more than a minimum. More than 1/2 didn't have the letter.. and most acted like it was a nightmare to even think of trying to find it. Some offices only have one desk and one phone due to the moving situation.. so no one can focus on what they are doing... or add any more to their load.
Everyone I spoke to this afternoon was planning to be at work till at least 10 PM tonight. They aren't the happiest folks to work with either.. and sound worn out.
Ann-OH
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2020
posted
Tincup, you said you were contacting [quote] all my states Reps [unquote]
So does this mean you worked on certain states, or you were calling all your own state's reps (who wouldn't be allowed to sign the letter even if they had it)?
You said: "The Congress- House Members- have all signed the Lyme Letter. All but ONE now.. and I am suppose to contact that ONE again in the morning... and I still hold out SOME hope."
Do you mean you contacted ALL the members of the House of Representatives? Last time I looked there were about 450 of them, so if you did that, you were a busy woman!
I just hope others contacted their own rep and passed on the message as a favor to Rep. Smith.
How do you know the people you contacted signed on? Did you talk to them personally? If so, that is quite an accomplishment, as I find it hard to get to talk to anyone other than staff.
Is the Member Letter posted somewhere where we can read it? It was good enough for me to tell the congressman (my district has only one) that the letter was from Representative Smith, but I would really like to see the text.
Congress is expected to adjourn this evening. I am glad I called on Wednesday as Pat requested. Politics is messy, right? Ann - OH
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Ann.. You DID ask for my life story here.. didn't you? HA!
I contacted all of Maryland's state reps.. who all have signed on now... even if not in MY district. YIPPEE! Sorry I didn't call for other states... as that chore, just Maryland, took a long time!!
Instead of asking them to sign on when I called.. and I may sound smart here (rest assured I wasn't).. but it was basically by accident and desperation..
When calling I asked them directly..
"Did YOU sign on already to the Lyme Member Letter?"
That way I didn't get just someone writing me down that I wanted them to (especially due to the deadline upcoming).. I actually got them to connect me .. and they were all SUPER busy.. to a health representative.. who would actually be the one to read it and push... or not push it anyway.. and I kinda made them a deal. Or else I left a message on their machine.
I told them we recently returned from a bus trip to NY to protest the new Lyme guidelines and folks were exhausted... and THAT was what the letter was about... the guidelines.
I said I knew THEY (Congressmen staff) were overwhelmed too due to the session ending and the moving of offices.. so we had a choice.
Could the person I was speaking to (health rep) and I discuss this and get an answer today.. or should I contact these folks who are ill and tired.. and ask them to start calling your office, one at a time, and adding to your work load... just to tell you they want it done.
Is THAT considered politics? ~smile~
So.. most had not seen the Member letter.. so I had to wait... call back.. wait for calls.. etc. Others weren't sure they wanted to until I gave them the what-for in my normal speel... being polite and sincere.. but not at all whimpy. Some were a hard sell.. and I even asked one if they wanted the 3,500 Lyme files I had to look through first.
I also told them up front I was a volunteer patient advocate who had been working trying to help sick patients for years... but had NO experience with the political side of the situation.
Once I got a list of who HAD signed on (as I was getting some).. and mentioned to the others.. "you are one of the last ones to sign".. or "Congressman's so-and-so's already have signed"... it made it easier. For some it took hearing OTHERS were doing it.. then they followed the lead.
It took "working" the individual situations to make it happen. And calling back.. sometimes 6 or more times to get to the right person and get an answer.... and not letting them "take a message" without a comittment first for someone to call me. They tried the "brush off" stuff a lot.. but I've never been much on that little tactic.
I've learned.. and I am sharing this so it MAY help others??
I've learned to say.. Good morning.. very cheerfully... and ask how they are doing.
Then I say..
I am so-and-so.. and I want to speak to so-and-so. That way they don't know what I want to say first... then check to see who I am.. alert the person next to them who shakes their head no.. etc.
It kinda throws folks off if they do the "let me see what you want and I will let you know if that person is available to speak to".. routine.
I also said.. if true.. I am returning a call to so-and-so.. so they knew I had been in touch already and THEIR office called me. I also said I had been waiting (told I would get) a call back and haven't.. if true. Those things seemed to help.
I had to toss in a few odds and ends.. as the situation fit... and as I went along.. but I learned fast by making one call after another.
I also kept track of it all as it happened.. which I usually never do. That helped.
I also learned some folks I spoke to knew others who had Lyme and were MUCH easier to get help from... and some had already gotten messages from other callers saying they wanted them to sign the letter.. in advance of my calls.
I hope this helps others to tune in to how I was able to get it done. That and a bunch of dumb luck.
posted
Thanks for the encouragement TC. I emailed my congressman earlier in the week & also left phone messages. I just called again and reached someone in one congressman's office. He asked who circulated the letter and sounded like he might encourage some action.
Did you call all the congresspeople from your state? I just called the 2 who came up for my zipcode.
I think we are all going to have to get used to this process and get better at making these calls. hats
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Ann-OH
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2020
posted
I would like to read that too, or is it a private matter between Reps?
Great Job, Tincup. You sound like a natural politician - devious and relentless.
Of interesting note: MD has 8 reps. Ohio has 18. NY has 29. CA has 53. So calling all your reps is a variable task, based on state population.
Does anyone know if all unpassed bills die, or are they still viable since the whole appropriations deal that should have been passed by this congress has been deferred to the next one?
I am too tired to figure out how to look that up. If anyone knows, please let me know.
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