IT’S A NUMBERS GAME
What makes Senators and Members of Congress listen? Is it facts? Is it the logical arguments we construct from facts? In some cases, yes. Some representatives co-sponsor the FAIRtax because they think it is the right thing to do. But in most cases politicians listen to numbers. The more your representative hears from many constituents, the more likely your representative – no matter the party - will be to co-sponsor the FAIRtax. Conversely, your representative – no matter the party - will be unlikely to co-sponsor the FAIRtax if he or she sees little support in his or her district. For him or her, it’s a political risk.
The solution is clear: recruit. My father once told me that the way to grow a law firm is to hire people to work for you. In this case, I would change the expression to work WITH you. By growing the numbers we can become more effective, yes, even after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act when Congress thinks it can move on because it thinks tax reform is done.
For sure keeping a good relationship with your elected representative is important. If you take the time to contact his or her office, or even meet with your representative or his or her staff, the representative will understand that for every one like you, there may be dozens more. But the primary objective remains to recruit others and grow the numbers. Steve’s Chairman’s Report makes it clear that we don’t have to recruit a majority in each district – just a small dedicated group.
Once we bring in numbers, volunteers need meaningful roles. Those roles vary from state to state. Having a group to meet on the telephone weekly or monthly is a good start. Groups feel more accountable to each other than individuals, and groups can decide on the projects and learn from experience what ideas work, and which do not.
In future Grassroots Corners, we will talk about what we are doing at a national level to develop grassroots organization and activity. Let’s grow and make politicians listen.
The solution is clear: recruit. My father once told me that the way to grow a law firm is to hire people to work for you. In this case, I would change the expression to work WITH you. By growing the numbers we can become more effective, yes, even after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act when Congress thinks it can move on because it thinks tax reform is done.
For sure keeping a good relationship with your elected representative is important. If you take the time to contact his or her office, or even meet with your representative or his or her staff, the representative will understand that for every one like you, there may be dozens more. But the primary objective remains to recruit others and grow the numbers. Steve’s Chairman’s Report makes it clear that we don’t have to recruit a majority in each district – just a small dedicated group.
Once we bring in numbers, volunteers need meaningful roles. Those roles vary from state to state. Having a group to meet on the telephone weekly or monthly is a good start. Groups feel more accountable to each other than individuals, and groups can decide on the projects and learn from experience what ideas work, and which do not.
In future Grassroots Corners, we will talk about what we are doing at a national level to develop grassroots organization and activity. Let’s grow and make politicians listen.
CALL FOR PICTURES AND WRITEUPS
We need your pictures and news. If you have anything to share, please send your material to me at jim.bennett@fairtax.org, or text me at (908) 578-4975. When others see your activity, they are inspired, and the process snowballs. When the process snowballs, Congress Members and Senators and, yes, even the President start to listen.