People, In partial response to Paul Lussier's question on what to write, I am forwarding part of an email from the NH housing forum. As for content, it is important to remember that both bills refer to efficiency and cost savings. Perhaps you could mention some way in which Linux helped you reduce costs or enhance productivity without additional costs. Indirect cost savings might be at least as important to mention, because they are not the obvious ones, and they are often overlooked, because they are hard to document. I am going to mention in my cover letter specific examples of how the state is spending extra money by not reusing older hardware, for example. You will probably come up with many other ideas, such as reducing risk costs by having many support options, etc. Feel free to suggest anything I haven't covered, or how my approach might be improved. (He says as he dons asbestos underwear, asbestos boots, asbestos yellow noreaster jacket). Additional information is available on http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ns/ Click on House, then committees. The committee is ED&A, Executive Departments and Administration. ****** forwarded material ************************ here they are. They were produced by NH Women's Lobby. Feel free to use them. Tips On Contacting Your Legislator by Phone or In Person Keep your message brief and to the point. If the Rep or Senator has questions that you cannot answer, tell them you will find out and get back to them. 1. Identify yourself as a constituent: use the name of your town if you don't know your district number 2. State your position and identify any legislation that may be applicable; for example: "I am calling to ask you to support HB171, an act that would abolish the death penalty." [The specific bills are HB464 - encouraging all state departments to improve efficiencies with the goal of a 25 percent reduction, adjusted for inflation, by 2005 HB738 - establishing a commission to assess the operating efficiency of state government. (This one is cosponsored by the chairman of the committee. Bob] 3. Know your legislator's position on the issue: if you don't know, this is the time to find out, you are communicating, not arguing. 4. Reiterate your position by talking about how it will impact you personally or impact someone you care about or impact a great number of people or affect the state's budget. (sometimes all of the above!) 5. Be aware of the budget: any bill with a fiscal note (FN) signals dollar signs. Acknowledge that you are aware of budget constraints, but that the need for social services doesn't disappear because money is not allocated for it. 6. Timing is important: 2-5 days before a vote seems to be about right - it is sometimes difficult to know enough in advance, and some issues are big enough to transcend the timing concern - such as abolition or the state budget. 7. End your conversation with a question: "Can I count on your support?" or "May I send you some information that will clarify what we discussed?" 8. If the legislator is on your side of the issue, ask if they will speak to other legislators to try to influence their positions. Or ask if there are any legislators they think may need persuading. 9. Thank the legislator for taking the time to listen. 10. Follow up with a note of thanks or disappointment after the vote. Bob Sparks Never attribute to malice, that which can be explained by stupidity. Never attribute to stupidity, that which can be explained by lack of information. ********************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the following text in the *body* (*not* the subject line) of the letter: unsubscribe gnhlug **********************************************************
