The opening is identical to all the other replies I get from my Congressional representatives.
"Thank you for contacting me about _________________(fill in the blank). It is good to hear from you."
And ending with the standard closer "Again, thank you for contacting me to share your concerns. Please keep in touch."
I understand that they can't personally respond to everyone but at least they could do is come up with a couple or three different openers and closers, (you think?????????)
Anyway................just a minor bitch....................PEACE....................Scott
Dear Mr. Brineman:
Thank you for contacting me about the federal response to Hurricane Katrina. It
is good to hear from you.
As you may be aware, the State of Washington took a proactive role in the
Katrina relief effort. In addition to offering monetary support and relief
supplies, Washington also opened its doors to over 2,000 evacuees, offering them
shelter, food, and clothing. The generosity and hospitality Washington state
residents displayed in the aftermath of the disaster has truly been inspiring.
In contrast, the federal government’s response to the disaster was unacceptable.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was established specifically to
deal with large-scale disasters such as Katrina; yet, its response lacked the
cohesion, manpower, and equipment necessary to provide immediate relief to the
hurricane victims. The residents of the Gulf Coast deserved better.
Furthermore, the rest of America needs to know that the federal government will
have a prompt and effective response plan in place should another national
emergency of this magnitude arise.
This disaster has shown that we need real leadership at all levels of the
government, and that relief efforts demand a massive, coordinated response in
order to be effective. Consequently, federal agencies such as FEMA need strong
and experienced leaders who are capable of managing the resources and manpower
in chaotic emergency situations. Michael Brown, FEMA’s director and head of the
Katrina relief mission, lacked the necessary expertise to carry out these
responsibilities. He has since resigned his position and been replaced by David
Paulison, who formerly served as the U.S. Fire Administrator.
While I was relieved by Mr. Brown’s resignation, the federal government must
focus on learning the important lessons from its response to Hurricane Katrina
to ensure that similar failures are not repeated. Unfortunately, President Bush
decided to launch an internal – rather than objective and independent –
investigation into the response and recovery effort. Therefore, the House
Committee on Homeland Security and Senate Committee on Government Affairs and
Homeland Security have opened their own investigations into the Administration’s
response to the disaster. I look forward to reviewing the findings from each of
these investigations and remain hopeful that, together, they will provide us
with enough information to mitigate the effects of potentially disastrous events
in the future.
You may be interested to know that my colleagues and I are currently discussing
new ways to improve the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA’s ability to
respond to national emergencies. Once such proposal recommends that FEMA be
reestablished as an independent agency in order to improve the efficiency and
information-sharing with the executive office. Rest assured, I will continue to
work in the Senate to address the institutional failures of FEMA.
I would also like to encourage you to check out the emergency preparedness
section of my website at http://murray.senate.gov/preparedness/. Here you will
find important information that will help you prepare and protect yourself and
your family in an emergency situation.
Again, thank you for contacting me to share your concerns. Please keep in
touch.
Sincerely,
Patty Murray
United States Senator
P.S. I'd like to invite you to receive Patty Murray's Washington View, my weekly
legislative update by e-mail. If you are interested in receiving my update,
please sign up here: http://murray.senate.gov/updates.
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