Only you can make CapWiz work   by Warren Parker 

It’s kind of like the old saying, ”You can lead a horse to water…but you can’t make 'em drink.”   That’s the way some technology is today.  Farmers and ranchers are not the only ones who may not take advantage of what’s available, but in this day and age of high speed action, overnight voting, urban representation and pressure, and so much more, farmers and ranchers must be ahead of the game in using their clout. 

Sending a letter by postal service to Congress these days can take months.  After 9/11/01 and other terrorist actions, a message through the mail is screened and scanned so much any issue is old news by the time a letter makes it to a Washington D.C. lawmaker. 

In the Kansas Legislature, overnight actions, 24-hour timelines for votes, etc. makes contacting lawmakers immediately imperative. 

Enter CapWiz.  This program runs on the KFB Web site.  It is administered at KFB, and can be amazingly flexible to the needs of your farm organization.  It can be used at any time you want to contact a lawmaker, or even the media, but the critical times are when you see an ACTION ALERT in the KFB e-news and on www.kfb.org asking for your help in contacting Congress or the Legislature about a Farm Bureau issue. 

Some of you out there are tremendous.  You can be counted on to respond immediately when the call is made to act.  But a few percent of those who receive alerts, or see the alert on the web site is not enough. 

Does it work?  Is it worth it?  Well, how about an example.  There was a bill in the Kansas legislature recently that some considered a ‘done deal’ for passage by a chamber floor vote.  The bill was not good for many farmers and ranchers.  A CapWiz alert was set up reaching the lawmakers in the committee, before the measure could reach the floor.  Around 800 e-mail messages reached the members of the committee from Farm Bureau members, clearly showing from across the state that opposition to the measure was substantial. 

Guess what?  KFB lobbyists were asked to shut down the onslaught, the point was made, and the bill died.  Yes, it works. 

Unfortunately, there are not enough stories like that, because too many members don’t act on the ACTION ALERTS.  Yes, you’re busy, yes, contacting lawmakers isn’t something you do every day, yes, you may have a dial-up connection and it may take a couple extra minutes.  But most of these issues affect your pocketbook!  Isn’t five minutes or less worth that?  You can do this during a break in your favorite TV program, take a short break between your meal and dessert.  When you see the alert in the e-news, you’re right there, with a link to the alert page to send your message, do it and have it done! 

Here’s a note to those of you living in urban districts.  Your responsibility is a notch higher than others.  Getting your message through in competition with urban interests is all the more reason you should act, you must act, you have the responsibility to act. 

Each message on CapWiz to a lawmaker is editable.  Most of you have heard that ‘form’ letters don’t have nearly the impact of an individual personal letter.  So make your letter personal.  Add at the top where you farm, how long you’ve farmed, why the issue is important to you.  Feel free to change other parts of the letter, as long as the message is clear, but make it YOUR letter.  It only takes a minute, and it will have much more impact! 

Do you need to get more familiar with CapWiz?  Great!  Look around.  You can start here.  Spend some time using the links, finding almost unending info on all your lawmakers, respond to alerts if they are active.  It’s an informative section of the web site, and worth a look. 

Less than 50% of the electorate vote in an election, many less than that contact lawmakers during the year to voice their concerns.  Most elected officials will tell you ten personal letters on an issue from a state district is almost a mandate. 

Let the other organizations and other interests keep those statistics, Farm Bureau can be so much better, and we have the technology to make it easy, fast, and effective.  Farm Bureau members can outnumber any input from any organization or urban area, if we just do it!   

If you consistently use CapWiz, THANK YOU!, and keep it up, you are truly making a difference.  If you don’t, GET ON BOARD!  You may be surprised what a couple clicks of a mouse can do, and what you can accomplish. 

Comments?  Send to parkerw@kfb.org