Enpowerment - get involved in politics

Do you know the names of your U.S. and state representatives and senators? When is the last time you wrote a letter or made a phone call expressing your opinion on an issue? Whether it's a national, state or local issue, there's an elected official who needs to know what you think.

There are a number of ways you can stay current and get involved.

Read your newspaper and become familiar with the issues that impact you on a local level, such as garbage-pickup rate increases, or property tax changes. If there's a meeting, go to it. If you're unable to do that, a phone call will let them know your opinions.

Sign up with AARP as a Citizen Advocate. It will send you e-mail alerts and update information about issues you care about. Go to www.aarp.org and click on "Issues and Elections." You can use the AARP information as a guideline, but remember that it's only a guideline. You should make up your own mind where you stand on an issue.

Go to your representatives' or senators' Web sites and look for contact information, and keep it handy. Each site will likely tell about the issues that they are working on. You might even find a link to updates that can be sent to you. To find contact information for your elected officials, put the state name and official's title in an Internet search browser, such as "New Hampshire U.S. senators" or "Nevada state representatives." If you don't have Internet access at home, see about using one at your local library.

We can make our presence known and our opinions count by speaking up. After all, elected officials are there to represent us, the constituents. They can't do that if they don't know what we want.

Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions. Do not send any material requiring return mail. Write to her in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL32853-6475, or send e-mail to letters.kfws@hearstsc.com.