"One personal contact to a politician is worth as much as 10 phone calls or 100 letters." Can't remember where I read it - possibly Sarpkaya's "Lobbying in Canada - Ways & Means" or maybe it was "On the Take" by Stevie Cameron (no it couldn't have been) > >Steve, I am much struck by the sense of helplessness that >most individuals have. I have been up in Canada so long, >that I don't know whether it is a Canada issue or a cohort >issue. While I was employed at the Ontario Ministry of >Education, I was stunned to discover that every letter had >to be answered and signed by the Minister. And of course, I >was the one that had to write the letter! We received very >few letters, even though parents were going bananas over >the state of the education system. Perhaps they were afraid >they'd be swooped up in the night by the government. > >Similarly, politicians work on the assumption that every >letter sent represents at least 100 other individuals. So >you can understand my frustration when people who are >impacted by an issue do not follow through on things such as >letter writing. > > Geoff Rowlands Partner Health Management Resource Group Vancouver, British Columbia Voice (604) 730 0121 Fax (604) 730 0120