I'm occasionally frustrated by advocates for good causes who make a lot of noise but aren't effective. And there are others who choose apathy and feel powerless when seeing that. I offer below a quick course in effective political communication. This is not regarding elections and voting but in working with those we've elected. The point is to have an impact, to be effective, rather than simply complaining among the choir.

Three main points: - All Politics is Local (the representative or official cares about how it will effect their district)
- QUALITY of communication is important (be concise and focused)
- Build a long-term relationship (we're all humans here!)

The mindset here is to be strategic; to ask, "What will it take to get X to happen?" Then you plan backwards, thinking about the laws and regulations that might have to change, who you'll have to reach to make that happen, and what points of leverage you have. Obviously there are other powers in play, so I'm not saying you can win all the time . . . But there ARE some things you can achieve.   more »