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By Lyle Hillyard
Utah State Senator, District 25

I have been very impressed on how the use of computers and the Internet in the legislative process has grown. From the statements of Rep. Evan Olsen to the effect that he finally found a use for his computer - as a stepping stone to get on his horse - to the current status of almost all legislators using the tools fairly effectively.

The new tools allow us to have everything at our finger tips so that I can access any bill while home in the evening during the session. I can speedily return messages. I was hesitant about getting a Blackberry but it has really proved helpful. I can access and respond to my email wherever I am. People can get ahold of me with helpful information that I may need. I usually receive several e-mails each session with good input about bills I am carrying. Earlier in my legislative career, those people would never be able to actually see the bills being discussed. My proposed rule change to allow legislators to attend meetings via the computer did not pass but it opened the topic for consideration and discussion.

With the integration of technology, I can see two serious problems that I wish could be solved. First, there are a large number of spam messages we receive even with very tight filtering. I can’t believe that there are people who still respond to the $23.0 M in gold awaiting them in Africa but unless they stop responding, the spam will keep coming.

My other concern is the vicious and mean-spirited messages that come from undisclosed writers. Being unknown seems to unleash the hidden spirit that most well-mannered people keep controlled. It is interesting to read the debate over this practice but I have found that someone who writes me a letter and then signs it “a concerned citizen” or who sends an e-mail without identification quickly find themselves in my recycle bin.

To anyone wanting to be taken seriously by a legislator, I would suggest you be accurate about where you live and identify yourself when writing as a “concerned citizen”. It will waste a lot less time and perhaps help you obtain your desired results.

2 Comments:

 Editor said...

Word up, Sen. Hillyard,

At Elected Hotties, we're all about being taken seriously, just as we take legislators' hotness seriously. Feel free to stop by and vote for your comrades' hotness, too. Our current polls feature the hottest of the Utah House of Representatives.

5/19/2008 12:43 PM  

 Jesse Harris said...

That's the problem with anonymity. When someone wants to disclose very important facts to the public without risking retaliation at work or from powerful foes, anonymity is a great thing. When it's used to act like a middle school bully, it's repulsive. I like to think that trolls are readily recognizable as such and that most of us will just ignore them.

5/19/2008 10:27 PM  

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