‘Thank or Spank’ your Congressperson

A few weeks back I posted the 2008 Congressional Arts Report Card for Illinois. (see the post here).  Soon after this, Scarlett Swerdlow, of the Illinois Arts Alliance/Foundation, alerted me to their “Thank or Spank” campaign, which allows Illinois residents to voice approval/disappointment to their elected officials.  Via Ms. Swerdlow:

Please take a moment to “thank or spank” your congressperson based on his or her Arts Report Card score. We’ve made it easy for you to take action. If your representative scored a B or higher, our online Action Center will generate a message congratulating and thanking your member. If your representative scored a C, D, or F, our online Action Center will generate a message encouraging them to do more to support the arts and arts education. Simply enter your zip code to get started!

I urge all my readers to “Thank or Spank” their representative(s).  (and for those non-Chicagoland readers of my blog, you can do the same!). 

I just contacted my rep Jan Schakowsky, thanking her for her A+ grade.  You can do the same here.  (on a related note, if you do e-mail your rep to voice your concerns, so in a civil, respectful manner.  You never know – they may come around soon; perhaps their grandson or niece will get involved in the arts, and their eyes will open when they see how the infusion of culture in a person’s life is beneficial to the world at large)