LTE Instructions

Writing a letter to the editor (LTE)?  Fantastic.  Few people realize just how important an LTE can be.  The letters page is often the second most read part of your newspaper and your message can have a very broad impact.  Let us know if your letter gets published (email Federal Affairs Manager Nan Swift [email]) and we’ll send you an NTU gift bag to thank you for going above and beyond.

Here are some simple tips on LTEs:

1. Follow the KISS rule (Keep it Short, Simple) – keep your letter to only one major topic and between 250-500 words. 
2. Check with your local newspaper and follow their submission instructions carefully.  These days, most only take LTEs via email.
3. Feel free to make a follow up phone call to make sure your letter was received.
4. If you have the opportunity, LTEs are a good time to thank your legislator for his or her hard work on this important issue, while at the same time informing readers. 

Need some inspiration?  Here’s a sample letter to the editor to get started:

As President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act disaster turns two and its unconstitutional individual mandate finally gets its day before the Supreme Court, it is important to remember just why this bill was so bad in the first place.  Two years after the months of protest, speeches, and Congressional arm-twisting it can start to feel like ObamaCare just might be a done deal, another big government power grab we have to learn to live with.  But the fight is far from over and here are just a few reasons we need to keep urging our legislators to repeal ObamaCare.

1. ObamaCare Is Unconstitutional: The PPACA contains an unconstitutional individual mandate that forces all taxpayers to purchase health insurance.  When the government starts to force you to buy anything, there’s no telling where this power trip will stop.
2. ObamaCare Raises Taxes: The PPACA raises or adds new taxes to the tune of $569 billion including a payroll tax hike, higher taxes on investment income, certain prescriptions, and even on insurers, who will pass those added costs on to consumers.
3. ObamaCare Increases Spending: Estimates on the ObamaCare price tag recently jumped from $940 billion to almost double at $1.76 trillion.  This is a “reform” we can’t afford.
4. ObamaCare Hurts Patients: The Independent Patient Advisory Board set up by PPACA will impose price controls that lead to fewer doctors, less health care services, and reduced medical innovation that would leave new drugs and technologies off the table.
5. ObamaCare Kills Jobs: Small business owners with 50 or more employees who do not provide the right kind of insurance (no copays for routine visits, no lifetime cap) will be hit with a massive $2,000 per employee tax.  Businesses will think twice before expanding or hiring new workers.

And there are still more reasons on top of these!  Even worse, though the PPACA seeks to ensure everyone gets access to quality health care, by 2019 about 21 million Americans will still be uninsured. 

I’m a proud member of the National Taxpayers Union and I know that more government isn’t the answer.  Allowing taxpayers to purchase health insurance across state lines and removing costly regulations would do far more to increase consumer choice – freeing taxpayers to buy the insurance that best suits their needs. We need to thank those legislators who are still fighting for taxpayers, leading the charge on legislation to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with real reforms. We also can’t forget to call, email, and even visit the legislators that aren’t on board yet.  They need to hear loud and clear, “Repeal ObamaCare!”