Legislative offices routinely clip articles, letters to the editor and opinion pieces from newspapers in their district. Cite an editorial, story or photo that appeared in the paper. Stick to one issue, summoning the best arguments for your point of view. When applicable, highlight comments or actions taken by elected officials. Draw on your own experience or special expertise.
Newspapers call to verify letters to the editor.
Yes, there are private programs, such as Common Meals, that manage to do good things without government help. But for the whole welfare business to depend solely on volunteerism, private contributions and corporate donations would require a degree of philanthropy unprecedented in American history. More than half the budgets of the three largest religious-affiliated social services agencies Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Ministries and Jewish Federations now come from government contracts. Government withdrawal from the social welfare business would mean closure of thousands of soup kitchens, homeless shelters, home-care services, day care centers, treatment programs, food banks and other services for which there are insufficient private donors and qualified volunteers. Dunsire is right.