Taxpayers: Make Your Voices Heard

by Stephanie Vollmer

You've just driven over that same pothole for the tenth time. And you've had it. This time, you vow to write a letter to the city complaining about road conditions. As a taxpayer, you've seen your money go to public art installations, homeless shelters, and arcane funding causes, but repairs to that one pothole ruining your $60 alignment are in short supply. And this time you're going to make your voice heard. You're thinking to yourself, "If the government can spend millions on a toilet seat, there's no reason to skimp on the 70 cents worth of asphalt necessary to fill the holes within a 3-mile radius of my driveway."

Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? But let's see a show of hands: How many of us have actually gone home, parked the car, gone inside, and researched the address for the appropriate agency, bureau, committee, subcommittee, or task force responsible for the minor ills that irritate us daily? (It seems half the battle is determining which agency does what.) And then there's the time it takes to write the letter. Before you know it, you're driving around that same pothole the next morning, wishing someone else would write the letter and resolve the situation.

Well, now you can take matters into your own hands. The web offers a comprehensive selection of government sites that'll let you weigh in on everything from faulty baby bottles to EPA rulings with the click of a mouse. For those who skipped Civics in high school, there's the added bonus of seeing the whole federal/state organizational chart come together. After an hour of web surfing, you'll never have to sing "I'm just a bill, sittin' here on Capitol Hill" to recall the legislative process.

Kvetch Well

You can now target your complaints to the appropriate departments, thanks to Robert Longley's U.S. Government Information and Resources page. With his Email Washington link, you can find email addresses and web sites instantly for those at the top. If you have a specific concern but don't know where to send it, simply use E-thepeople.com, which delivers your topic to the appropriate agencies and officials. For the vocal among us, there's a substantial list of ready ears for almost everything, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Trade Commission, the Medicare Fraud Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Meat and Poultry Hotline.

Just for Fun, Though Not for the Faint of Heart

Once you've had your say at the meat hotline, pour a cup of coffee, and settle down with the notorious Most Wanted Lists. Guaranteed to leave you feeling like a model citizen, these lists profile some of the most dangerous criminals still wanted by the ATF, the FBI, the DEA, and the U.S. Customs Office.

Dig Deeper With Meta Indexes

Another approach to unearthing government resources on the web is to explore the Library of Congress sites. These meta-indexes provide links for state and federal resources -- right down to the county and city level. You'll discover more about where your tax dollars are going than you ever dreamed possible. One place to start is the State and Local Governments site. Here, you'll find links to everything from topical indexes to state statutes and county-specific information. At the Official Federal Government Web Sites, you can link to the White House, the Office of the First Lady, and the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education, and Energy, to name just a few. You can also explore the inner workings of Congress at the United States Legislative Branch, which includes the latest status on the FY2000 Appropriations Bill. The University of Michigan's Document Center offers Government Resources on the Web, with its links to federal, foreign, international, and state sites. If you're looking for information on a state-by-state basis, the Piper Resources guide, State and Local Government on the Net, lets you select a single state to see its legislative, judicial, and executive branches, as well as its boards and commissions, regional links, and county- and city-wide links.

Keeping an Eye on Lawmakers

If you're interested in tracking legislature, one of the most valuable sites is THOMAS. In January of 1995, the Library of Congress made federal legislative information freely available on the Net. As a result, THOMAS covers legislation, congressional records, and committee information. Site visitors can check the days-in-session calendars for the House and Senate and follow the status of bills and amendments.

Putting Your Tax Dollars to Good Use

With such a wide range of governmental resources, you can become as involved as you'd like in politics, or you can watch the show from afar. If you're tempted to bow out and leave it to the elected officials, you might want to remember one thing: Some smart entrepreneur is going to be peddling specialty Millennium Screwdrivers to the federal government come winter.

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