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Democracy is NOT
a spectator sport: On a dreary December evening, Dorothy Frary argued that Indiana should use funds from the $4 billion tobacco settlement to increase funding for the CHOICE home care program and other programs which serve Indiana’s senior and disabled populations.
Frary told the story of a friend who, with her husband, qualified for CHOICE services but waited in vain one and a half years due to the program’s funding restraints. "Their finances just dwindled down, and they had to go into a nursing home. She died this year." "I just believe that if she’d been on that CHOICE program, she’d be here today," Frary said. Frary told her friend’s story to 150 people attending a public hearing which featured representatives of Indiana Governor Frank O’Bannon and Attorney General Jeff Modisett. The next day, Frary’s case was carried to 60,000 more Hoosiers: Fort Wayne’s News-Sentinel published a letter written by Frary on it’s editorial page and quoted Frary in a front page article. Frary was like many who attended the hearing because they or someone close to them had been touched by the benefits of home health care or, as in Frary’s case, had been hurt by the lack of funding CHOICE and other home care programs receive. In her personal campaign to ensure her friend’s story will no longer be repeated thousands of times across Indiana, Frary used the same techniques CAC supporters can use on this or any other issue. LETTERS, PHONE CALLS, AND E-MAIL CAC often finds itself competing with powerful, well-financed special interests. Since CAC does not operate by making campaign donations, CAC staffers count on citizens to write, call, or e-mail decision makers. "Nothing gets an elected official to take notice like a few dozen bags full of mail," said CAC Executive Director Chris Williams. "When an elected official can’t find his or her own desk for all the letters piled on it odds are you’ve got their attention." Even though the 2000 General Assembly will be a "short" session, Williams said there are a number of issues on which CAC supporters need to contact legislators. "You’ve got the tobacco settlement, CHOICE funding, medicaid waiver expansion, the managed care bill, campaign finance reform, farm issues... "And then there’s deregulation. Electric deregulation is NOT going to go away. We cannot afford to think, ‘we stopped it this year’ and let our guard down. The letters and phone calls we generate now will determine what Indiana’s electric market looks like well into the 21st century." Letters do not need to be long, nor do they need to be literary masterpieces, Williams said. The best approach is for the writer to politely but firmly state where they stand on an issue, then ask the lawmaker to support that position. "It helps if you have a personal story to share," Williams added. "If you know someone who’s on the home care waiting list, or who doesn't know how they’re going to keep the heat on or how they’re going to pay for prescription medicines they need, someone who’s getting denied care by some managed care company - that’s the sort of story lawmakers need to hear. "In a democracy, we don’t have to suffer in silence. We get mad, we get vocal, and then we can make things change," said Williams. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, GUEST COLUMNS AND OP-EDS "The beauty of a letter to the editor," said CAC Utility Coordinator Dave Menzer, "Is that you get to make your case, rewrite it until it’s the most powerful argument possible, then, if it’s accepted for publication, you sit back and let someone else print several thousand copies for you. And they deliver it to thousands of readers, right to their doorstep. "This is one of the most powerful tools citizens have to communicate with policy makers as well as with the community as a whole," he said. There are a few simple tips people can use to increase the likelihood letters will get published, Menzer said. "Most newspapers publish guidelines
for letters, which include how long a letter should be. If a newspaper
says they want letters of 250 words or less, take the time to count your
words and cut a few phrases to stay within that guideline. It’s a much
more efficient use of time than "Always articulate what you want the reader to do. If you want the reader to call legislators, say so. Include the toll free numbers for the Statehouse right in your letter," he said. The same guidelines apply to Op-Eds or guest columns, in which many Indiana newspapers allow readers to submit longer pieces. "And don’t forget that there are more outlets than just the one or two dailies you subscribe to. There’s the Indianapolis Star, which is distributed statewide, there are weekly newspapers all across the state, there’s college and even high school papers. If you want to really get the word out about something, there’s plenty of ways to play Paul Revere." Addresses for Indiana newspapers can be found in reference guides such as Working Press of the Nation, which are available in most libraries, Menzer said. PUBLIC HEARINGS AND ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS Although both Frary and her husband Frank have been active in local politics, the most powerful technique she used was her honesty. "I just told my friend Mary Jane’s story, and then I sort of let them have it. It makes me so mad that there isn’t more support for nursing home alternatives in this state," she said. Frary’s testimony was compelling. She received the first round of applause of the long evening of testimony. Hoosiers can use this approach in other public forums. Many legislators host town hall meetings throughout the year. These are usually announced in mailings or in newspaper announcements. County Democratic and Republican headquarters will also be aware of such events. These forums give citizens to a chance make their case to policy makers as well as to audience members. If you intend to speak at a public meeting, have a good sense of what you are going to say, so you won’t get flustered or take more time to make your point than you need. When talking with a legislator in public (and often with news media present), it is important to walk a fine line between being direct and being respectful and polite. It is important to ask a legislator to commit to specific stands, such as committing to spend a certain percentage of the tobacco settlement on a specific program. It is also important to avoid making a legislator feel he or she is being unfairly attacked or "sandbagged." You can also schedule time to meet with legislators one-on-one. Meetings can be scheduled by using the toll free numbers for the Statehouse on page 2, either in Indianapolis, or when the legislator is in his or her home district. As with public meetings, it is important to know what you will be saying before the meeting, and to ask for specific commitments on an issue, not just a tone of general agreement. It is also useful to know a legislator’s record on an issue. Feel free to contact your nearest CAC office with your questions about voting records and other information.
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