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| [Uncle Sam image] |
- By David Allgood -
Being
a citizen advocate is really an easy thing to do; but being easy does not make
it less important. I cannot stress enough what an impact your letters, emails
and phone calls make to our elective officials. These actions have already made
a huge difference in restoring funds for the aging and disabled populations in
Kentucky. If the current legislation at the time of this printing passes the
State Senate, then we will have restored $10 million over the next two years.
I
encourage you, your family members and your friends to register to vote, if you
are not already registered, and make sure that you actually vote on election
day. Legislators pay attention to individuals who actually vote and have the
ability to hire or fire them through their votes.
Get
to know your local, state and federal representatives. Hopefully you can set up
a meeting in person when they are at home in their district. Let them know who
you are, and what issues are important to you. They work for you and they
actually look forward to gaining a base of knowledge that they may not have had
before your interaction with them. Make yourself the go-to person when they are
dealing with issues that are relevant to individuals in the disability
community. You may not have the money that the big lobbyists have, but you do
have the power of the ballot, and this could determine whether the elected
officials keep their jobs or lose it.
So
get yourself, your family and friends involved in this process because a large
number of involved individuals can truly make a difference.
The
2012 KY primary election is May 22. You must be a registered voter by April 23
to participate. CAL has voter registration cards which you can come by and fill
out if you need to register. For more information visit http://elect.ky.gov/.
