I Love My Congressman

Posted January 19th, 2012 by cdclocks@gmail.com

Well, specifically, I love Mike Rogers.  I can’t say the say for all our elected officials, but this man has earned my respect over and over.  With SOPA and PIPA looming, he has earned my respect again.


Anytime a truly controversial bill is introduced, specifically if it will affect me or mine, I actually DO look it up and read it.  For those that deserve the attention, I DO, as I’ve been taught, contact my representatives, House, Senate, or other applicable elected official.  


The very few times that I’ve actually needed to contact my representatives, Mike Rogers and his team have listened.  I know they’ve listened because they’ve always responded with a response directly addressing my concerns.  



Even when my opinions and requests have contradicted others, the response from Mike Rogers has always been intelligent, well-informed, and personally helpful.  


IF I’ve received responses at all from senators and the like, they’ve been meaningless form letters.  I can’t emphasize enough how much I respect Mike Rogers for his consistently insightful responses.

I contacted my representatives about SOPA/PIPA yesterday via email and twitter.  Thus far, Mike Rogers is the only one to respond…with the following:

Dear MyNameHere:
 
Thank you for contacting me with regard to H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). It is good to hear from you.
 
As you may know, H.R. 3261, would authorize the Attorney General to seek court orders against a U.S. directed foreign website committing or facilitating online piracy.  A very similar bill, S.968 the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) was introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (VT) in the Senate. Both pieces of legislation are intended to protect consumers but the potential for overreach by the U.S. Department of Justice is a very real concern.  Although this legislation is well-meaning I am very concerned with the language as introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. In addition the free speech afforded to American citizens by the U.S. Constitution should never be compromised and the imprecise bill language could threaten that.  H.R. 3261 has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee, of which I am a not member. If this matter comes to the House floor I will remember your thoughts on the matter. 
 
Thank you again for contacting me.  If you would like to receive further information on issues of importance to you, please log on to my website at http://mike-rogers.house.gov. I hope to hear from you again soon.
                                                                                                    Sincerely,
                                                                                                    Mike Rogers                                                                                                Member of Congress


Just as I’ve been taught to contact my representatives regarding important bills and other relevant matters, I’ve also been taught to look at voting records just before election time.  I think many of us will be watching to see how our representatives vote on these bills.  It will be a factor in voting decisions.


For now, I’m just a very proud Alabamian to have a congressman who actually listens.

Tagged and categorized as: a class of its own, Reviews, Warm Fuzzies and Coolness Comments (2)

2 Responses to “I Love My Congressman”

  1. Sara
    January 19th, 2012 - 9:29 pm

    I really thought you were joking when I saw the title of this post! Every time I’ve contacted Mr. Rogers with my concerns on legislation I receive responses that basically say “Thanks for your opinion. I will do everything I can to make sure Congress does the exact opposite of what you just suggested.” I understand he & I are on different ends of the political spectrum most of the time, but his responses are sort of rubbing salt in the wound, y’know? He could maybe say he’s representing the majority opinion of his constituents, which doesn’t fit with my opinion, and I’d understand that. That’s never how he expresses it though. He never once mentions representing his constituents – just his own opinions. Grr.

  2. CD Clocks
    January 19th, 2012 - 10:17 pm

    Ouch. I feel your pain. I’ve been so disgusted with the form letter crud from others that I’ve simply tossed them in the trash and went in immediate search for Tums.

    My personal voting history hasn’t exactly paralleled those typical of Alabama, so I’m not surprised that responses might be contrary to my requests.

    The thing that I most respect about Rogers is that the replies have always been quick and well-informed. You can tell that he or his staff are actually reading the bills and their emails. Of course, I could just be getting really lucky…enough to be catching an exceptionally good writer on “reply duty.” 🙂