I got this letter back from Jon Kyl
 

I thought I'd share this with you. I recieved it yesterday (8/17/06)

[ QUOTE ]

July 24, 2006



Dear Mr. xx



Thank you for contacting my office concerning Internet gambling.



Gambling over the Internet poses a greater threat to individuals than any other form of gambling. Unlike gambling at casinos, where an individual must physically travel to the location (and has to prove he or she is of age), gambling over the Internet provides a quick and easy way for people to lose large sums of money without a check of their age or identity. In addition, because of the anonymous nature of the activity, the Departments of Justice and State warn of the vast potential for money-laundering through gambling wagers and payoffs. All major sports organizations in the country and the state attorneys general oppose Internet gambling. Bill Saum of the National Collegiate Athletic Association has warned that it poses a great threat to college students.



As you may know, H.R. 4411 passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support by a vote of 317 to 93. It provides strong enforcement mechanisms, including prohibiting financial institutions from accepting or paying money for Internet gambling. The purpose of this bill is to cut the money flow to Internet gambling websites. This bill is now going to be considered by the Senate.



Please keep in touch.



Sincerely,





JON KYL

United States
Senator




[/ QUOTE ]


Notice that, although he thanked me for contacting his office, he never acknowledged my opinion. What an arrogant, sanctimonious a-hole! (I also can't understand how it could take 3 and a half weeks to get a letter from Washington to Arizona...)

This guy HAS to go...

Re: I got this letter back from Jon Kyl
 

What, did you expect him to change his mind?

Re: I got this letter back from Jon Kyl
 

I'm assuming that you sent this snail mail. Letters to the senate in this form go through a myriad of security checks and the process takes quite a while. This reply is actually on the quicker end of things. For me to get a letter back from Dick Lugar of Indiana took about a month and a half. This is fairly average in my experience.

Re: I got this letter back from Jon Kyl
 

Ever since the anthrax scare, they check the letters VERY carefully, that's why it took so long.

But seriously, you mailed Kyl?

Re: I got this letter back from Jon Kyl
 

[ QUOTE ]
I thought I'd share this with you. I recieved it yesterday (8/17/06)

[ QUOTE ]

July 24, 2006



Dear Mr. xx



Thank you for contacting my office concerning Internet gambling.



Gambling over the Internet poses a greater threat to individuals than any other form of gambling. Unlike gambling at casinos, where an individual must physically travel to the location (and has to prove he or she is of age), gambling over the Internet provides a quick and easy way for people to lose large sums of money without a check of their age or identity. In addition, because of the anonymous nature of the activity, the Departments of Justice and State warn of the vast potential for money-laundering through gambling wagers and payoffs. All major sports organizations in the country and the state attorneys general oppose Internet gambling. Bill Saum of the National Collegiate Athletic Association has warned that it poses a great threat to college students.



As you may know, H.R. 4411 passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support by a vote of 317 to 93. It provides strong enforcement mechanisms, including prohibiting financial institutions from accepting or paying money for Internet gambling. The purpose of this bill is to cut the money flow to Internet gambling websites. This bill is now going to be considered by the Senate.



Please keep in touch.



Sincerely,





JON KYL

United States
Senator




[/ QUOTE ]


Notice that, although he thanked me for contacting his office, he never acknowledged my opinion. What an arrogant, sanctimonious a-hole! (I also can't understand how it could take 3 and a half weeks to get a letter from Washington to Arizona...)

This guy HAS to go...

[/ QUOTE ]

Why on earth did you contact him? [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] You must enjoy urinating into the wind, too. LOL

Re: I got this letter back from Jon Kyl
 

[ QUOTE ]
But seriously, you mailed Kyl?


[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is something all Arizonans should do. I don't think it will change his mind, but if he gets flooded with correspondence on this issue, then there is at least a possibility that Kyl won't pursue the issue with as much vigor in the future. (EDIT: assuming he even gets reelected)

Re: I got this letter back from Jon Kyl
 

He's been anti-online poker since pre-Moneymaker. His mind probably isn't going to be changed.

Re: I got this letter back from Jon Kyl
 

[ QUOTE ]
He's been anti-online poker since pre-Moneymaker. His mind probably isn't going to be changed.

[/ QUOTE ]

So his constituents shouldn't voice their displeasure? It can't take more than half an hour. You might as well do it on the off .0000000000000001% chance it makes a difference.

Re: I got this letter back from Jon Kyl
 

[ QUOTE ]
This guy HAS to go...

[/ QUOTE ]

You are registered to vote right?

Re: I got this letter back from Jon Kyl
 

[ QUOTE ]

Notice that, although he thanked me for contacting his office, he never acknowledged my opinion. What an arrogant, sanctimonious a-hole! (I also can't understand how it could take 3 and a half weeks to get a letter from Washington to Arizona...)...

[/ QUOTE ]

This is not a justification, just an explanation:

Regarding the format and content of the letter, I used to work on Capitol Hill in my youth and "drafted" many a response letter to letters such as the one you sent.

Responses to corespondence are usually assigned to junior staff and interns. Each Senator/Congressman has a huge repository of boilerplate letters for almost every issue under the sun. When a letter is received, it's subject is cross-referenced with one of the boilerplate responses, the return address information pasted in, and the response letter sent off. Very few letters get a unique response and even fewer make it to the actual Senator/Congressman for review and/or input. If there was an actual pro or con opinion expressed in the orginal letter we would record the tally and file the letter but I am not sure if this is common practice throughout the Hill.

Again, this is just the likely explanation for the impersonal nature of the response, not a justifcation for it or Kyl's stance on the issue.