Contact your Congress: Easy mode

[wolfy-hound]

Upset about the LaceyAct nonsense? Mad that a couple morons could alter FEDERAL law and make thousands of pet owners into felons for no benefit?

Then you should have already called or written your Congress representatives! Did you?

Did you sign a online petition? Congress doesn't care. That's akin to posting to your Facebook wall that you're terribly peeved. Congress does not read "change.org" or whatever petition site out there.

But there's hope! The country is set up so WE each have representatives in Congress. These reps are supposed to represent OUR views. They ARE OURS. You can talk to them, or their offices. They are YOUR Congresspeople, so call them, write them, tell them repeatedly and loudly when you've got an opinion on goverment matters!

I bet you're thinking.. "Wolfy, geez, I have kids and work and school, I don't have TIME to look up all that information! It's too much work and confusing!!"

Hey I gots the solution.
Write to your Congressperson! You can look up by your zip code and type right into a form!
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

But I bet you'd rather CALL them! I sure would! I hear those thoughts again... "Wolfy!! If ONLY there were a site that gave us the phone numbers!!!"

Taa-daaa!!!
http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/

Again, you look up your personal Congressperson using your zip code. Sometimes you need your 9 digit zip code, not just the 5 digit zip code. Oh wait, I hear the wails of confusion!!

"But WOLFY!!! I don't KNOW my 9-digit zip code!!" Hey, neither did I! But here's a site that looks it up for you by your regular address!
https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action

Today, I called and talked to people at THREE Congressional offices! TALKED TO LIVE PEOPLE!!! I told them I was upset that NO ONE representing me was angered that this agency just changed Federal Law and made thousands of pet owners into felons if they dare to take their pet with them, and WORSE, that they added a clause that says "We can add other species when we want". I asked them WHEN MY Congressperson would be speaking out against a agency and one man bypassing Congress after FOUR YEARS of them being turned down for the same type of legislation. I reminded them that the rule would benefit not one person. It would not make the Everglades safer, it would not help stop invasive species in Florida, and that it was unfair to make a person living in Minnisota KILL his pet, in order to satisfy some Animal Rights group who had convinced folks that keeping any pet is wrong.

I was polite but VERY firm that they would listen to my concerns.

One office was very concerned about the rule change and agreed with my concerns and repeated that they would be talking to the Congressman about it specifically BECAUSE THEY HAD RECIEVED SEVERAL PHONE CALLS FROM CITIZENS!

Call your reps. It's their job to listen to you. Even if you think they'll ignore you. Even if you're busy. Even if the latest video game is waiting on the tv for you to play. It takes only a few minutes. IF no one is calling, then there's no objections and we may as well euthanize our own ball pythons, since they won't stop with just 4 species. Call them. Call them all. Call them repeatedly. Talk to the aides and make certain they know you want to SEE your Congressperson speaking against this unneeded rule change and that it worries you for all your pets, even dogs and cats.