feedback on my rep. letter

[twoblacknines]

I live in Ohio. My rep.Hobson voted yes on HR 4411. I am getting ready to send a letter to him to show my disappointment with his vote. Suggestions are appreciated about anything i should add/delete. I don't have much experiance with this kind of stuff, but I am trying to become pro-active. Here is my rough copy:

Mr. Hobson,
I am writing to let you know my disappointment in your vote for H R 4411 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. I am sure many other voters who enjoy poker as an entertaining past-time feel the same way. Sure, there are some problem gamblers, but there are a lot more problem drinkers. I am sure alcohol destroys many more families than a card game of skill will ever approach, yet I don’t see anyone rushing to resume prohibition on alcohol. I was under the impression that the USA was a free country. Trying to stop law abiding citizens from the occasional game of online poker seems quite silly to me. There are far more important issues in this country that need to be addressed. Unfortunately, you seem to feel it is more important to stop Americans from playing a card game from the comfort of their homes.
The hypocrisy of the bill is also sickening, giving a free pass to online horse wagering. If you really felt gambling was a problem, then why is the horse industry left alone, and why do we have an Ohio lottery? What do you call the lottery? I call it gambling.
For these reasons, your support of HR 4411 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act has caused you to lose my vote and everyone I know.
Sincerely,

[AggieYank]

Good.

Way more important would be a letter sent to your senators letting them know your feelings.

[revots33]

FWIW, here is the letter I sent to my congressman in NJ. I encourage EVERY POKER PLAYER in the US to not just complain, but call/write their representatives.

Dear Congressman Ferguson,

I am writing to express my disappointment that you voted Yes to HR 4411, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

I realize the desire to protect people from gambling addiction. However, using the government to prohibit personal liberties is not the means to that end.

I have played poker with friends and family since I was a child, as have countless other Americans. It is a GREAT game of skill, played by many of our Presidents, and with a long and colorful history in America. Banning this great game simply because of where it is played, is wrong. Especially when other forms of online gambling, such as horse racing, are for some reason singled out as being acceptable.

The government has the opportunity to raise a lot of money by regulating and taxing online poker, just as they do with poker rooms in brick and mortar casinos. Why ignore this huge revenue stream and curtail our freedoms to spend our recreation dollars as we see fit? It seems hypocritical for the state to sponsor lotteries and tax casinos in Atlantic City, while singling out a game of skill just because it is played on the Internet.

Poker is loved by millions of Americans, and the ability to play online is a convenience enjoyed by many who cannot easily get to a casino to play. We vote, and we are very passionate about this issue. Thank you for taking the time to read my message.

[AZplaya]

[ QUOTE ]
Good.

Way more important would be a letter sent to your senators letting them know your feelings

[/ QUOTE ]
Send this letter to your House rep, then send a similar one to your Senator letting him know what a tool he would be to approve this [censored]. At this point, our House reps are meaningless...

[ProsperousOne]

Note that a single, hand written (or typed) letter, personnally signed in in, and mailed 1st class, carries 100 times more weight than 100 phone calls and emails....

[Erik Blazynski]

you should thank him for trying to protect an individual from his own self. And then thank him for still allowing me to "click my mouse and lose my house" via lottery and horse racing. And then appologize because the poker rooms were not able to unite and hire Jack Abramoff to lobby for them, vow that the poker sites will unite and contribute to his campaign in a significant way.

Then call him a douche-bag and kick him in the balls.

-blazman

[Erik Blazynski]

and it takes about 3 months to get there.

[Erik Blazynski]

no my friend, this will do nothing. I write my congressmen and senators on a regular basis, they simply don't care unless you are donating to their campaigns in a significant way.

see this link...
http://www.cardclubs.net/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=645

[hotcookie42]

Dear Congresswoman Velazquez,

Thank you for fighting against H.R. 4777, the internet gambling legislation which was unfortunately passed by the House despite your courageous vote against it.

I find it deeply concerning that your colleagues in the House think they know better how to spend my hard-earned money than I do. I see H.R. 4777 as a gateway to further limitations on my use of the internet, my online privacy, and my online banking. I find it condescending, outrageous, and insulting that the government can put any sort of restriction on my spending. The last people to do that were my parents, and I didn't like it then and I especially don't like it now as a grown woman.

Most curious to me is the fact that this legislation bans only certain kinds of online gambling. This leads me to believe that the government is not passing this bill in order to stop people from becoming addicted to gambling, but rather that the House believes it can pass judgement on which forms of gambling are acceptable and which are not. I know a few other countries in the world where the government limits its citizens' choices of entertainment. I'm pretty sure most of them are among our current President's "Axis of Evil."

I appreciate your taking the time to read my letter. I hope you will continue to oppose legislation that treats American adults like children. I'm not sure if Congress recalls, but prohibition legislation doesn't have such a great record of working in this country. Your colleagues on the Hill would do well to remember that.

Sincerely,

[Meech]

Here is mine thus far...

I am disappointed in your support of HR4411 - Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. As an adult, I feel that I am fully capable of making decisions as to how I should spend my hard earned money. If I get a little bit of enjoyment out of playing poker on the internet, it's my choice and my money.

I watched some of the coverage on CSPAN. Trotting out that college student that robbed a bank as an example was just pathetic. It’s not hard to find an example case for whatever your cause is, but to even hint this is common, or expected, or typical is shameful.

I’ll hope for a quick death in the generally more sensible senate, a letter to my senator will follow.