This is such good advice/information. Please save it and act on it. The ACC encourages all responsible owners to make themselves and our positions known to their local, state and federal elected officials. And not just when you are "against" something. Please be proactive in spreading the positive message and benefits of responsible owners and breeders. Donna & the Dosido Gang Remlap, Alabama Visit me at _www.mydoublenickellife.blogspot.com_ (http://www.doublenickellife.blogspot.com/) and help support the Alabama Canine Coalition by shopping/searching through _http://www.goodsearch.com_ (http://www.goodsearch.com/) and _http://www.igive.com_ (http://www.igive.com/) Every year of dog love is worth seven years of the human stuff. (Michael Rosen) ____________________________________ From: naia@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Reply-to: support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To: djsdosido@xxxxxxx Sent: 1/3/2011 8:03:31 A.M. Central Standard Time Subj: Happy New Year from NAIA Trust (http://www.naiatrust.org/index.htm) (http://www.naiatrust.org/index.htm) (http://www.naiatrust.org/about.htm) (http://www.naiatrust.org/gov/index.htm) (http://www.naiatrust.org/legal/index.htm) (http://www.naiatrust.org/resources.htm) (http://naiaonline.org/) Wishing you a Happy and Successful New Year! At NAIA Trust our most important New Year's resolution is to help our constituents increase their power in 2011! This is an incredibly important year for all of us. The midterm elections carried a huge number of new legislators to Washington, and with this change comes enormous challenges and opportunities that we can use to our advantage. As a constituent, you have more influence with your elected officials than any other person or outside group, no matter how rich or seemingly powerful they might be. But for your special status to count, you must take action. As the saying goes, the world is run by those who show up. Our goal is to help you do that. A few tips and tools for growth and success in 2011 1. Introduce yourself to your elected officials: * establish a relationship; * create an awareness of your issues, and * become a trusted source of information. Make an in-person visit, call, fax or write. If you can’t personally visit Washington DC or your state capital, visit your lawmakers’ local offices and get to know the staff. Share your materials with them so they become familiar with you and your issues. Phone calls can be very effective, but always follow up with a letter that puts your positions and ideas in writing. When time isn’t a factor, send your letter via normal mail channels. Otherwise send it by fax or copy and paste it into your email. If you want your letter to be read, do not send it as an email attachment because security concerns will probably prevent it from being opened. Please read number 3 below for guidelines on to write the letter. 2. Use _NAIA Trust’s Capwiz legislative tool_ (http://capwiz.com/naiatrust/dbq/officials) . It finds and enables you to contact your lawmakers easily – federal, state and local, from the President down to your local representative. Please note that Capwiz not only gives you contact information for your lawmakers, it also provides links for _federal agencies_ (http://capwiz.com/naiatrust/dbq/officials/agencies/?command=search) . If legislative gridlock develops in 2011 as many expect, the agencies will take on a more important role as contentious legislation is replaced with administrative rulemaking and other regulatory approaches. Caution: Do not contact agency administrators unless you have substantive and unique information to share that will enable them to make a more informed, balanced decision. You can be sure that agency administrators are hearing other points of view about issues that affect you. 3. Write a short letter to introduce yourself and your issues. It’ s good to develop a relationship with government officials before you need it. You can be certain that representatives from the national groups have already introduced themselves. Here are a few letter-writing tips: · Be respectful and polite; · Identify yourself as a voting constituent; a. a stakeholder who could be affected by a policy decision; b. an expert who can provide useful information on policy issues; and, or c. a representative of a larger group whose views you share. · State your concerns very succinctly. Get to the point. Here’s the directive we have posted in the NAIA office. “Be selective. Be concise. Don’t tell people what you know, tell them what they need to know; what it means; and why it matters; · Provide your representative with documented materials to show your expertise or prove your case whenever you can. Here are some items dog enthusiasts can use: · _AKC State Economic Impact Statistics for 2009_ (http://www.akc.org/canine_legislation/state_economic_impact.cfm) a. The _NAIA Shelter Project_ (http://www.naiashelterproject.org/) showing animal shelter statistics; b. _NAIA Model legislation _ (http://www.naiaonline.org/resources/legislative.htm) offering alternative provisions; and c. Ask for a response to your letter, or better yet an appointment If you have not yet signed up for the NAIA Trust Capwiz mailing list, _sign up_ (http://capwiz.com/naiatrust/mlm/signup/) now and pass on the link to your friends. And please, if you’re not already supporter of NAIA Trust, _donate now_ (http://www.naiatrust.org/donationForm.htm) . Without help from people like you, we won’t be here to help you in the future. Happy New Year, Patti Strand, National Director Copyright © 2008. National Animal Interest Alliance Trust. All Rights Reserved. _Join Now!_ (http://www.naiatrust.org/join_us.htm) | _Subscribe to Newsletter_ (http://www.naiatrust.org/newsletter.htm) If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from us, please click _here_ (http://capwiz.com/naiatrust/lmx/u/?jobid=167026631&queueid=6295850356) .