Dear Colleague . . . .

One of the ways business gets done around here is by means of the "Dear Colleague" email. Members send these out seeking support for a bill they've introduced, a resolution they'd like passed, or a letter they'd like to send (most often to the leadership, asking that a particular measure be scheduled for a vote, or to a federal agency, asking that it spend money in a particular way). The idea is that having more supporters, and the right supporters, will make it more likely that the member will be successful in achieving his/her objective.

Fair enough. But we get scores, perhaps hundreds of these a day. (And I only see the ones sent by Democratic members). They all seem worthy; I mean, who doesn't want money to go to America's poison control centers? Who's not for the AANAPISI program? (Oh, you don't know what that is? The Asian American and Native Pacific Islander Serving Institutions program). Who wouldn't like to commend Lance Mackey (a cancer survivor) on mushing his way to a fourth straight victory in the Iditarod?

You get the idea. The first problem we face is not letting the need to look at these and make decisions on whether to sign on to them take up so much time that the staff can do little else. But what sort of criteria to apply to decide what's worth our time and attention?

I guess that's why members have a Chief of Staff ....