Posted by Kromey at 5:07pm Dec 20 '091. Have you ever personally written, emailed, called, or visited your U.S. Congressman's (House of Representatives, that is) office, either in D.C. or in your district?
Yes - personally visited Don Young's office. Spoke with a couple of his staff, didn't meet him personally.
2. Have you ever personally written, emailed, called, or visited your U.S. Senator's office?
Yes, both Senators, however neither are still in office. Same deal as above though - staff, not the Senators personally.
3. Have you ever personally contacted your state Delegate's office (or whatever it is in your state)?
Once, a long time ago. I'm pretty sure the reply I got was an actual personal one and not just a form letter (it was a class project that we each write a letter to our state rep's office, and everyone else in the class got obvious form letters - all the more obvious when you've got them side-by-side and they're identical save for the salutation and the one paragraph where they repeat what you wrote so it sounds as if they're actually listening!).
4. Have you ever personally contacted a member of your local government?
No. Got invited by the borough mayor to his office after he chose some of my artwork to hang in his office. He'd picked lots of student artwork from around the district to hang in the borough building, but mine and one other hung in his actual office!
(Obviously I'm talking about discussing government matters. If you're friends with your mayor, that doesn't count as a yes for #4 unless you've contacted him/her about a city issue.)
5. Have you ever contacted a government official on any level of government on behalf of an interest group?
Not directly - signed a couple of petitions, that's it. Well, actually I did fill out a web form that submitted a form e-mail in my name on behalf of an interest group, but again - not directly.
6. Have you ever participated in a political rally or a protest/demonstration?
No.
7. Have you ever signed and/or collected signatures for a petition that was to be given to your Representative, Senator, Delegate, etc.?
I've signed a few. I used to believe that anything should be able to go on the ballot, so I would sign anything put in front of me; later I realized how ridiculous that is, so now I only sign if I actually believe in the cause.
8. Have you ever participated in an election by doing anything more than voting (i.e., fundraising, campaigning, volunteering at the voting booths, etc.)?
No.
9. Did you vote in the last presidential election? If you've had another election since the presidential election, did you also vote in that?
Yes, and no (somehow didn't know that there was one - guess that's what I get for not watching the local news on TV nor reading the local newspaper, although you'd think the local radio stations would get the word out for that kind of thing...).
10. Do you vote in primaries?
No. I'm opposed to political parties on principle, and thus don't participate in the partisan nonsense.
11. Do you plan on personally contacting your Representative, Senator, Delegate, or local government officials in the not-so-distant future?
I need to give my Senators and Representative calls vis-a-vis health care reform and some potential upcoming gun control legislation.
12. Have you ever participated in a political survey?
No - I hang up on those guys.
13. Do you feel that your legislators are paying attention to the interests of their constituents?
I think Don Young is doing a so-so job on that front; Mark Begich seems to listen, but then again he's new to the job. What's-her-face (name escapes me at the moment) is solely vested in special interest and her partisan lines, however.
At the state level, most seem to listen (at least, they tend to vote in the same direction as the surveys say the people lean).
Yes - personally visited Don Young's office. Spoke with a couple of his staff, didn't meet him personally.
2. Have you ever personally written, emailed, called, or visited your U.S. Senator's office?
Yes, both Senators, however neither are still in office. Same deal as above though - staff, not the Senators personally.
3. Have you ever personally contacted your state Delegate's office (or whatever it is in your state)?
Once, a long time ago. I'm pretty sure the reply I got was an actual personal one and not just a form letter (it was a class project that we each write a letter to our state rep's office, and everyone else in the class got obvious form letters - all the more obvious when you've got them side-by-side and they're identical save for the salutation and the one paragraph where they repeat what you wrote so it sounds as if they're actually listening!).
4. Have you ever personally contacted a member of your local government?
No. Got invited by the borough mayor to his office after he chose some of my artwork to hang in his office. He'd picked lots of student artwork from around the district to hang in the borough building, but mine and one other hung in his actual office!
(Obviously I'm talking about discussing government matters. If you're friends with your mayor, that doesn't count as a yes for #4 unless you've contacted him/her about a city issue.)
5. Have you ever contacted a government official on any level of government on behalf of an interest group?
Not directly - signed a couple of petitions, that's it. Well, actually I did fill out a web form that submitted a form e-mail in my name on behalf of an interest group, but again - not directly.
6. Have you ever participated in a political rally or a protest/demonstration?
No.
7. Have you ever signed and/or collected signatures for a petition that was to be given to your Representative, Senator, Delegate, etc.?
I've signed a few. I used to believe that anything should be able to go on the ballot, so I would sign anything put in front of me; later I realized how ridiculous that is, so now I only sign if I actually believe in the cause.
8. Have you ever participated in an election by doing anything more than voting (i.e., fundraising, campaigning, volunteering at the voting booths, etc.)?
No.
9. Did you vote in the last presidential election? If you've had another election since the presidential election, did you also vote in that?
Yes, and no (somehow didn't know that there was one - guess that's what I get for not watching the local news on TV nor reading the local newspaper, although you'd think the local radio stations would get the word out for that kind of thing...).
10. Do you vote in primaries?
No. I'm opposed to political parties on principle, and thus don't participate in the partisan nonsense.
11. Do you plan on personally contacting your Representative, Senator, Delegate, or local government officials in the not-so-distant future?
I need to give my Senators and Representative calls vis-a-vis health care reform and some potential upcoming gun control legislation.
12. Have you ever participated in a political survey?
No - I hang up on those guys.
13. Do you feel that your legislators are paying attention to the interests of their constituents?
I think Don Young is doing a so-so job on that front; Mark Begich seems to listen, but then again he's new to the job. What's-her-face (name escapes me at the moment) is solely vested in special interest and her partisan lines, however.
At the state level, most seem to listen (at least, they tend to vote in the same direction as the surveys say the people lean).
Re: A Political Questionnaire - Kromey