Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) would like me to know that, agree or disagree, he’s always listening. Though, one of these days, I’d like to receive something from a Member of Congress which isn’t clearly a prepared form letter.

Yesterday, as you’ll recall, I took Sen. Feingold’s office to task for sending out a corrupt PDF file attachment to one such form letter response, for occasionally using outdated and irrelevant form letters, and for being rather slow to respond.

(I barely had a chance to touch on any of the issues of disagreement, where I believe in liberty, and Russ seemingly does not, but I’m sure I will have such an opportunity in the future.)

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to find two more such letters in the inbox this morning, on the very issues raised yesterday.

Dear Mr. Hampton,

Thank you for contacting me. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on issues of importance to you.

Since 1993, I have received tens of thousands of calls, letters and e-mails from the people of Wisconsin. I have also met with many Wisconsin residents in the state and in Washington, D.C., to discuss a wide variety of important issues. Also, I continue to hold listening sessions in each of Wisconsin’s 72 counties every year. It is the valuable comments and suggestions that Wisconsinites provide that enable me to better serve our state.

Thanks again for contacting me. I hope you will not hesitate to alert me to your views about any issue of concern to you in the future.

Sincerely,

Russell D. Feingold
United States Senator

Only tens of thousands since 1993? Obviously they aren’t as busy up there on the Hill as I thought they were. You can help, though. Contact your Senators (everyone gets two) and express your opinion on issues important to you. No need to spend that much time composing a letter; after all, they won’t spend as much time replying.

The second form letter was much more interesting. There’s much in this letter to dissect, so I’ll interrupt from time to time with my comments.

Dear Mr. Hampton,

Thank you for contacting me regarding your views about politics. I appreciate hearing from you.

I understand that many Americans have strong feelings about their federal, state and local governments. In many cases, concerns over the conduct of political campaigns are but one facet of individuals’ overall dissatisfaction with their governments’ policies and performance. Through my listening sessions which are held once a year in every Wisconsin county and through the many letters, phone calls, and e-mails that I receive, I learn the views and concerns of many citizens across our state.

Many people have expressed their frustration with the status quo, and have voiced their feelings of powerlessness to change the system. While I understand this frustration, I want to emphasize that individuals can and do make a difference in the political process. In 1982, I was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate by a
margin of 31 votes out of approximately 46,000 total votes cast. You can be sure that neither my opponent nor I took any individuals, or their votes, for granted. In my case, as with countless other state, federal and local elections across the country, the participation of each and every individual American truly does matter.

Wow, 31 votes. That must have been one hotly contested race. If it had happened that way these days, they’d still be fighting about the recounts in court.

As an elected federal official, I cast my votes based on what I believe is best for Wisconsin and the nation, not simply on what is best for the Democratic party or what a particular administration supports. In some cases, my vote albeit in the minority has been the most powerful means to register my disagreement with legislation that would negatively affect Wisconsin, such as proposals that contain egregiously wasteful government spending plans.

Hey, keep on voting against egregiously wasteful government spending plans — if you can. Like the President’s proposed 2008 budget, where virtually everything across the board gets more money, an overall 4.1% increase from 2006, and 22% higher than 2001. This President is spending us all into the poorhouse.

Although I understand your frustration, an individual’s vote for the candidate who most closely represents his or her views and values is the cornerstone of a representative democracy such as ours. Contrary to what many non-voters believe, failing to exercise one’s right to vote implicitly sanctions the status quo. Only by staying involved can the voices of dissent ever be heard. I truly hope you will continue to choose to let your voice be heard by continuing to stay involved in the matters being considered by your federal, state and local governments.

You can be sure I’ll continue to stay involved, and I’ll give your staff something to do whenever the opportunity arises. You can also be sure I’ll continue to write and publish libertarian views to a growing audience from both “sides” who have had it up to here with government.

And, I’m sure some of my readers will disagree that not voting “implicitly sanctions the status quo.” They, I am sure, will speak for themselves below.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future regarding this or any other matter of importance to you.

Sincerely,

Russell D. Feingold
United States Senator

This time, they managed to spell everything correctly.

In addition to Russ Feingold’s staff, I can confirm that Rep. Tammy Baldwin’s staff also dropped by to read yesterday’s article. I have no idea why, though I’m glad they’re taking breaks from their long days of reading the Democratic Underground and watching the idiots of the day fence plowing and ghost riding on YouTube to come and read what I have to say. Which reminds me, after you’re done expressing your views to your Senators, be sure to express them to your Representative (everyone gets one). They and their staff aren’t busy enough either.