DEAR CONGRESSMAN - SAMPLE LETTER

Remember the government works for you....not vice versa!

Permission is given to repost this letter. Please share.
==================================================
(feel free to edit):

Dear xxx,

As your constituent, I am very much concerned with the lack of funding for research of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), often referred to as CFS/ME.

CFS/ME is a multi-system disease adversely affecting the heart, brain, immune system, nervous system, circulatory systems and muscles, including post-exertional malaise and neurological/ cognitive manifestations. See: http://www.imeassoc.com/

Research to help people suffering debilitating illness from CFS/ME, who are often homebound and bedbound, received a measly $6 million in federal funding last year, while perfectly healthy HIV+ people received $3.1Billion.

NIH-Sponsored Research Funding (2011)
HIV/AIDS = $2,906,000,000
CFS/ME = $4,000,000
Source: http://report.nih.gov/rcdc/categories/

We are citizens and taxpayers. We used to be productive members of our society and we would like to be again. Please help us by creating research funding parity for CFS/ME with AIDS. CFS/ME is oddly still considered 'a mystery' 30 years after it achieved notoriety in the U.S.

Just from what we know today, in terms of the immune dysfunction and human suffering, CFS/ME is just as serious a public health problem as AIDS.

Please fund CFS/ME research to help us get well, so we can do our part again.

Sincerely,
xxxx

==================================================
U.S. government representatives can be found here:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contac...nators_cfm.cfm
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/