OK! You just finished reading one of the legislative articles and you want to give your Congressman a piece of your mind. Now what? Never written to a public official? Don't know what to say? Here are a few tips to get you started.

The first step is to find out who the "Congressman" is! The links on our Legislative Resource page have the State and Federal Senators and Representatives addresses and phone numbers. There are also links to the respective goverment pages so you can search by zip code or some other ways.

Now you've got an address. What's next?

Well, writing the letter. We're not going to tell you what to say...that's up to you. What you'll find below are a few tips on how to say it.

Be Polite	Would you listen to someone who called you an A-hole?
Be Specific	Use the name of the bill and number, or mention some specific details. Do your homework!
Be Brief	Don't ramble. They don't have much time to spend on each letter
Be Yourself	Don't put on the dog to try to impress them. You won't. And handwritten is fine, if you can't type.
Just Do It!	It's your money, as much as some treehugger's!

Addressing the letter:
 

The Honorable John P. Murtha	The Honorable Arlen Specter
2346 Rayburn HOB	711 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20515	Washington, D.C. 20510

The Salutation:
 

Dear Representative Murtha

Dear Senator Specter