Postcards are an excellant idea - Not everyone has e-mail and it is something that the grandparents and maybe young kids could do especially if not comfortable with e-mailing or writing a letter. A simple message of "I/We are depending on you for saving PACT for me/my children/grandchildren/etc."  would be effective.

I would like to suggest an alternative to purchasing postcards that would get the green in the legislators' mailboxes. Using a green paper or card stock sheet, 4 postcards can be cut from a single sheet. The USPS has its min/max sizes posted at a height requirement of between 3-1/2" and 4-1/4" and a length requirement of between 5" and 6".  (See requirements at http://postcalc.usps.gov/Postcards.aspx) The postage is 28 cents. My local Office Depot has 67# at $14 per 500 sheet ream. This would reduce the cost to about a penny per actual postcard. [I deleted the reference to 24# paper. Postcards have to have a minimum thickness of 0.007" and maximum thickness of 0.016" and it appears the cardstock has to be no less than 67# and no greater than 110# per my checking on the internet for the thicknesses of various paper weights. Verify what you plan to buy meets the USPS thickness requirement. At Office Depot today the print counter had prepared postcards for a business and I was told the cards were 110# cardstock and they did not seem any heavier than other mass mail postcards that I have received in the mail.]

With a little work (plus footing the postcard cost but not postage) from local SAP representatives who know their individual legislators, a template for putting on the photocopier or printer could be made that had the address information for their legislators. The addressing would have to be done only once then put on the copier or printer loaded with green paper. These could be passed out (as a kit) to interested people with the instructions to cut out and hand-write their personal message and sign and mail. [Please do not interpret this as negative criticism of the current efforts of local SAP reps, rather as simply stating that this organized action will take extra effort. And furthermore, only a few may be accessing the website and reading this message so making it easier on those that you want to get some help from will make the task a lot easier.]

We all know someone besides ourselves who will negatively affected by PACT contracts not being honored. Likely these people have not done much other than offer moral support to those that are going to Montgomery. Giving them a simple kit (requiring only minimal work by them) would be highly effective in getting the message to Montgomery legislators. Now is the time to call people to action since the legislature actually has it on their agenda in both the House and Senate. If not now to do something, it may be a shoulda/coulda/woulda situation down the road.

Bama88

Last edited by Bama88 (01-17-2010 7:15:03 pm)

Here are links to templates in Word format for making your own post cards from cardstock. The address-side is made for adding the legislator's name and room number. The rest of the Montgomery address is filled in.  It is a little tricky to keep the formatting in good shape so be careful if replacing blanks with your local legislators. The back is simply the SAP logo to decorate the back. I suggest using a bright green card stock for the best contrast for addresses and message area. Suggest printing logo in black and white since some colors of SAP logo may get lost on green background.   Also adhere to postal guidelines mentioned in previous posting. (Note that these templates are also found in the "Documents" folder of the SaveAlabamapact website.)

http://www.savealabamapact.com/data/fil … 0_2010.doc

http://www.savealabamapact.com/data/fil … 0_2010.doc

Good luck and let's send a bunch of messages to Montgomery!