WHAT WE DON'T NEED...IS A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE!

Mailers' efforts to win from Congress passage of a postal legislative reform (modernization) package is about to enter a critical phase. The number of days left on Congress' legislative calendar are limited. If you want something done in this Congress to avoid the catastrophe of a postal fiscal collapse, then you must do everything in your power to convince Congress to act before it adjourns sine die.

When it comes to communicating with Congress, many are intimidated or perplexed. "What should I say? How should I say it? How can it be said so that what I say makes a difference?" These sorts of anxieties are commonplace. The anxiety, however, shouldn't be on your shoulders. Rather, it should rest on Congress' shoulders. This is particularly true since no member of Congress can ever hope for re-election to office without your vote and confidence.

If you want to make an impression on your member of Congress, keep in mind the old adage: "All politics is local." If you want your voice heard, if you want your plea heeded, then speak to your legislator in a manner that will mean something to him or her, i.e., "How does this issue affect the folks back home?"

The companies we own, operate, or work within represent a great many good things to our local communities. We offer our communities a source of jobs, wages, benefits, taxes, and all of the stuff that makes a life fuller and happier. When you talk to your member of Congress, talk in terms that reflect this reality.

How can you do this? It's simple. Here is a list of questions. If you have the answers to these questions, you'll have all the information you need to talk meaningfully and powerfully to your member of Congress.

• In which communities are all divisions of your company located, i.e., in how many communities is your company located?
  
• At each locale, how many people do you employ?
  
• How many people live within the families of your employees?
  
• How much does your business pay in federal, state, and local tax dollars, i.e., corporate, property, sales, use, wage, excise, and other taxes?
  
• How much do your employees pay in federal, state, and local tax dollars, i.e., personal income, Social Security/Medicare, property, sales, use, excise and other taxes? (Here's hint: You can get an estimate of the first two from your withholdings.)
  
• How much do you pay in employee benefits, i.e., health, life, dental, unemployment, disability, and other insurances?
  
• How does your business rely on mail as a medium for business communication and commerce?
  
• How much does your business spend on (or earn from business related to) postage?
  
• What would happen to your business if a reliable, competitive, and universal mail delivery system were not available to you?
  
• What would happen to your business' and your employees' ability to contribute to the sustain the work of federal, state, and local governments through the taxes they pay?
  
• How would the loss of the benefits you provide affect your employees and their families?
  
• How many of your employees are their families' sole support?
  
• How many of your employees are responsible for the care of sick, disabled, or handicapped children or adults who have no other means of support?

These questions are not just for employers. If you're an employee, you still can use many of the above items as a guide for your letter writing. Once you have the answers to these questions in hand, you'll know what to say; and I have no doubt you'll be able to say it powerfully and persuasively.

Don't worry about talking about the specifics of any particular piece of legislation. You don't need to be an expert on bills such as H.R. 22 to convey your concerns to your member of Congress. There are experts who can address the specifics. Your job is to make sure your members of Congress (Representative and Senators) know it's time to wake up and smell the coffee. Those on House and Senate postal subcommittees (and their staffs) and your trade association representatives in Washington can take on the job of getting their congressional colleagues up to speed.

If "all politics is local," then you, your company, and your community are about as local is it gets. Tell your member of Congress why they need to be concerned about the future of our postal system. And don't accept anything less than "I'll get on it" as an acceptable reply. Remember, they work for you, not the other way around.