"Franking" is the term used originally to describe the free (snail) mail privileges that a member of Congress gets so that he can tell his constituents what he is doing. But the Franking Rules, last updated in 1998, also have strict guidelines on what can be done and what can't so that members avoid appearing to use such privileges for campaign purposes. That's necessary because your average American doesn't want to see his taxes used to help incumbents over the challenger who doesn't have such privileges.
But those rules were set near the dawn of the internet age and they prevent members of Congress from fully participating in the interactive medium that today's young (under 30) expect. A member can't post a bill on a website and invite comment and dialog. He's stuck with a form on a webpage that invites constituent feedback in which response is a paper letter posted a month later. No page on social network sites. Some members truly don't understand the power of the internet, but most have young staffers who do. It is time to change the Franking Rules to get Congress into the 21st Century and take advantage of transparent and participatory government.
You don't think they would rather work in secret, do you?
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