According to Jubilee USA Network,
Letter writing is one of the easiest and most effective methods of campaigning for debt cancellation. It shows decision makers and elected officials we care enough to sit down, think about the issue and contact them.
With that in mind, here is a list of important contacts and some tips for writing an effective letter.
Contacting Decision Makers
o Representative _____________
US House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
o Senator ______________
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510
o The President of the United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
o Secretary of the Treasury
US Treasury Department
1500 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20220
(The Treasury Dept. is part of the administration that sets policies for the World Bank and the IMF.)
o Managing Director
International Monetary Fund
700 19th St, NW
Washington, DC 20433
o President of the World Bank
World Bank
1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
Getting the message across
1. Thank this person for positive steps taken in the past
2. Express two or three points only
3. Be polite and positive
4. State what you want this decision maker to do
5. Let elected officials know if you voted for her or him
6. Include full name and address
7. Handwrite the letter (lost art, I know)
2 comments:
Ryan,
Thanks so much for taking the time to create this post. This is indeed a great way to get folks enlisted in a very important effort. It is amazing to me that the idea of strategic debt relief is such a clear part of the law given to Israel (Deuteronomy 15), but we as Christians have been slow, or even unwilling, to talk about it and help lead the public conversation. I think that this is a missed opportunity. The folks at Jubilee USA are doing a great job of reversing this trend. Anyhow, I can testify that letter writing does register with members of congress, as Maria and I have already received several responses from the letter writing campaign that Lisa led us in during advent.
thanks for putting this up ryan. and billy, i had never thought of deuteronomy as "strategic debt relief"..great way to talk about it. it seems like god was (is!) also interested in making poverty history. Yahweh is a pretty good activist to work alongside. it certainly emboldens me.
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