How To Make Your Voice Heard In Government

Six Effective Ways To Brand Your Voice Heard By Congress

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It's not our place to talk nigh politics, and it's not our place to tell y'all what to believe. But, it is our place, equally citizens of this wild country, to be informed and to help yous go informed, likewise. We've put together a list of half dozen super easy and super important steps y'all can take to become your voice heard past your local representatives and congressperson to win back our democracy. If these concluding few weeks have taught usa anything, information technology'southward that we must listen for the truth and believe in our country, and that nothing tin take away our voice. Words by Dee Gross.

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I like to avoid things like politics, local news, and global affairs. Given that my final several articles have been almost surviving family events with booze and subterfuge, it may surprise you to acquire that I struggle with anxiety and depression. This means that listening to every terrible affair from the news, is tantamount to torment. So, I excused myself from the pain and went on my merry fashion. This arrangement worked for quite a while, I would check in periodically with NPR, The Daily Prove, or more recently, Jon Oliver, but to stay informed, but difficult news was not my jam—that is until Donald Trump won the Republican nomination.

This is not a slam against the Republican party. Honestly, I practise not identify with either party and consider myself a political moderate. But, how could the man who made me uncomfortable on the Celebrity Apprentice now take the fate of the free earth in his tiny hands? Mental affliction be damned! I was ready to practise something. Since then, I have washed my best to take activity and look for opportunities to brand an touch on where I tin can. If you are looking for a way to have your voice be heard, here are some things you can exercise, too.

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1. Be an informed denizen.

As difficult as it may seem considering the present hostility towards the media, correct information is at your fingertips. Fake news was the big story of the 2016 election and continues to be written about above the fold. The lesson nosotros must larn is Do Not TRUST EVERYTHING YOU READ ON THE INTERNET! The internet allows u.s.a. global advice and social media allows usa a means to share that data with a click of a button, but much like that rumor about your classmate in seventh Course, you need to cheque the facts before you share it.

"How do you know if a news story is trustworthy?" I am then glad you asked. The proficient folks at the University of Wisconsin Light-green Bay take gone in to detail on how to tell if a website is credible. (Information technology should exist noted that I pronounce the proper noun of this university with my best/worst Wisco-accent. I advise you do the same. It makes it super fun!)

E'er, always ostend the information with multiple sources! This is my favorite fact-checking website, just if y'all want to be sure, bank check multiple sources confronting i another.

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2. Contact your representative.

So, you take social anxiety and are pretty sure you will die if you lot have to talk to an actual human on the phone. Me, also! Plus, we're not alone. In that location are plenty people who experience this way that Echo Through the Fog wrote an article on how to phone call your representative if you have social anxiety.

Information technology seems scary, but I have actually tried it. Then far, I have non had to speak directly with either my Congressperson or Senator, but I have spoken with their staff members. At first, I was sure this would be a fruitless endeavor, but I take received a alphabetic character from my Congresswoman addressing my concerns.

I have enjoyed even more success through the beauty of email. This is past far the all-time style I have found to express my concerns. It gives me fourth dimension to properly formulate my thoughts, and time for my representative as well. I used this method to contact my land representative and I received some of the most thoughtful replies from Tennessee Country Senator William Lamberth. I practice not agree with some of his political standings, just we were able to have a discussion without the stress and aggravation of having a conversation in person. Not a good author? Exercise not worry, the internet has several email forms you tin can employ to submit a alphabetic character to your representative.

Use this official website for finding your senator'south contact information and this one for finding contact information for your local representative in the house.

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3. Protestation.

Not to be crass, only if you are going to protest, the rule is don't be a dick! If your idea of protesting includes violence, looting, arson, or basically annihilation that could allocate your grouping equally a mob, stay at domicile and spew your bile on Reddit where it belongs.

The almost powerful form of protest must take a plan and must not exist overshadowed past acts of hatred. If you are going to make a difference, you must not become the oppressor, merely rise to a higher place them with your dignity and humanity. When we are talking protestation, I take to quote MLK Jr. It may seem trite, but his civil disobedience was and then powerful, the simply manner his enemies could silence him was to take his life. This is what he proposed in "Alphabetic character from a Birmingham Jail,"

In any nonviolent entrada in that location are four basic steps: i) collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are live; 2) negotiation; 3) self-purification; and 4) straight action.

This means in order to change, you need to call back, endeavour to reach mutual-ground with your advisory, assess your ain motivations earlier you lot take whatsoever directly activity. In this earth of social media and instantaneous reactions, I wonder how different recent history would exist if we truly behaved more similar Dr. Martin Luther King?

4. Donate to charity.

And then you say you care almost women's reproductive rights, animal welfare, veterans, education, and on and on. Well, put your money where your mouth is. I'm sure many of you may have reservations well-nigh this, but at that place are a lot of amazing charities and nonprofits that need money, volunteers, and/or goods. I try to set up aside a small amount each month to donate. If yous practise not have an system you lot are passionate nigh, check out Jon Oliver's list of charities accepting donations. He and his staff vet each system and offer compelling reasons as to why we should care.

5. Vote, and not just in the Presidential election.

For some reason, information technology is easy to overlook land and local elections. Perhaps, they are just not as sexy. These terminal few years, however, when the U.S. Congress was basis to a halt, state and local governments were passing laws like they were going out of mode. Many of these laws were passed without fanfare, and in some cases, with seemingly little scrutiny. If you really want to make an affect, find out what your state and local legislations are doing. The answer may exist surprising.

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6. Disagree, merely remember to love each other anyway.

Recently, I began reading Trevor Noah's autobiography about growing upwardly in Due south Africa during apartheid. Don't be too impressed, I am but halfway through, but something he said stuck with me. He noted that the genius of apartheid is that it convinces the states we are all different or divide, but in truth we are even so. I wholeheartedly concur with this sentiment. I have loved ones who are dice-hard Trump supporters, gun-toting Baptists, rednecks, Bernie supporters, feminists, Women's Marchers, scientists, teachers, and many more than labels. Some of my friends post things on social media that make me desire to reach through the figurer screen and shake them. I don't, however, considering I know the ultimate way America is already great. We are a group of people who are different, who disagree, who bring their own voices, their own special set up of skills to our nation. The conflict nosotros confront will merely define us and divide us if we let it. Our fear will define us only if we cower to it, nosotros must recall what made us great to begin with—our unity.

Nosotros can unify despite differences of politics, religions, or gender identities. These manmade constructs do not matter. Our diversity should not dissever us, instead it should exist the foundation on which we strengthen this great nation. I know we accept information technology inside u.s. to modify this country for the practiced—information technology is at this betoken I would usually include a joke about filtering political posts from your Facebook feed and I accept that information listed below, but instead, I'm going to take the high-route and quote Lincoln/Jesus, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." We have seen the dangers of ownership into the the states-versus-them mentality. Just read a history book, pick up a newspaper, and you'll see what happens when people carve up themselves arbitrarily. Let'southward be the kind of people who make history, non due to our destruction, only through our endurance. At that place is no demand to brand America great, again, we're already there. We only need to keep from screwing it upwardly.

Dee Gross is a writer and frequent contributor to the Original Fuzz Magazine. You tin can find more than of her words on her blog The Mad Scientists and Their Gross Life.