Friday, October 26, 2007
Your Representatives
How many of us have ever contacted our representatives about any issue? You have a representative for each specialty club you belong to. You have an ARBA representative, too. In some cases, it is appropriate to contact the members of a particular committee with your concerns.
And you have concerns, I'm sure. Just go to any rabbit show and you can hear folks voicing their concerns. The problem is, just rehearsing our concerns to each other doesn't get the job done. The concerns need to be voiced to those who have the power to present to boards and committees who have the power to actually change things.
One of the biggest complaints I've heard among those serving is that they don't hear anything from anyone. Or they hear frequently from just a few people.
A good representative is capable of presenting the views of the district even if they are not his or her own views. So don't hesitate from voicing your opinions, even if you know that your representative doesn't agree with them.
If you decide to write to your representative, make sure you state the concern clearly. Use examples, if you can to bring the concern to life. They can be given without naming names. Then make a suggestion for how things could improve. Be respectful and non-demanding.
Representatives need to get the pulse of their district. It may be that yours is the only communication of its kind. That might not generate much response. But what if a representative gets dozens of emails on the same topic? Then it is hard for him or her not to take the concern to the board or committee.
Yes, you are just one person. You cannot hope to make huge changes by yourself. But if many of us get into the habit of chiming in with our opinions, our representatives will have so much more information to go on and more to bring to the table at their next meeting.
I did write two emails today. I wrote one to Eric Stewart, ARBA District 9 representative, about the rule that scratched rabbits had to be removed from the Convention Show room. I want to see sales as a legitimate activity of Convention. I'd like to see sale coops handled separately so that comment cards are not generated for sale rabbits. It would save a lot of work for judges, runners, and ramrods. It would keep convention class numbers from being so artificially inflated.
I also wrote to Todd Naragon today because he is on the Holland Lop standards committee. I wanted to suggest that "massive" be changed to "massive relative to the size of the rabbit." And I wanted to encourage the recovery of the description for Madagascar. I understand it used to be in there. When we have more points on color, then Madagascars could get severely cut for not having bright orange over the back as stated in the tort standard.
So when you have a concern, think about it, jot down your ideas, and then email or write to your representatives. Maybe you'll be surprised and help make a positive change in our hobby.
Laurie
¶ 10:39 AM
And you have concerns, I'm sure. Just go to any rabbit show and you can hear folks voicing their concerns. The problem is, just rehearsing our concerns to each other doesn't get the job done. The concerns need to be voiced to those who have the power to present to boards and committees who have the power to actually change things.
One of the biggest complaints I've heard among those serving is that they don't hear anything from anyone. Or they hear frequently from just a few people.
A good representative is capable of presenting the views of the district even if they are not his or her own views. So don't hesitate from voicing your opinions, even if you know that your representative doesn't agree with them.
If you decide to write to your representative, make sure you state the concern clearly. Use examples, if you can to bring the concern to life. They can be given without naming names. Then make a suggestion for how things could improve. Be respectful and non-demanding.
Representatives need to get the pulse of their district. It may be that yours is the only communication of its kind. That might not generate much response. But what if a representative gets dozens of emails on the same topic? Then it is hard for him or her not to take the concern to the board or committee.
Yes, you are just one person. You cannot hope to make huge changes by yourself. But if many of us get into the habit of chiming in with our opinions, our representatives will have so much more information to go on and more to bring to the table at their next meeting.
I did write two emails today. I wrote one to Eric Stewart, ARBA District 9 representative, about the rule that scratched rabbits had to be removed from the Convention Show room. I want to see sales as a legitimate activity of Convention. I'd like to see sale coops handled separately so that comment cards are not generated for sale rabbits. It would save a lot of work for judges, runners, and ramrods. It would keep convention class numbers from being so artificially inflated.
I also wrote to Todd Naragon today because he is on the Holland Lop standards committee. I wanted to suggest that "massive" be changed to "massive relative to the size of the rabbit." And I wanted to encourage the recovery of the description for Madagascar. I understand it used to be in there. When we have more points on color, then Madagascars could get severely cut for not having bright orange over the back as stated in the tort standard.
So when you have a concern, think about it, jot down your ideas, and then email or write to your representatives. Maybe you'll be surprised and help make a positive change in our hobby.
Laurie
¶ 10:39 AM
