Instructions

You are a lobbyist for an issue that you find important. For example, you would like to see the banning of smoking in federal buildings (Note: This policy has already been enacted.) You are going to make an informational pamphlet to highlight your points to prominent members of Congress. Research members of Congress that you will target in your lobbying. Explain why these members are critical to your goal. Make a plan of action and produce a pamphlet supporting your cause. Who will you be reaching out to? Why? Write a cover letter to a Congressional member and include your reasoning for reaching out to them in particular in the letter. Remember a lobbyist is only as good as the information they provide. A lobbyist who provides incomplete or unreliable information will soon be unemployed, or lose access to officials.

Cover letter should:

• Follow a standard business format
• Correctly address your Congressperson
• Use the correct postal address
• Explain your choice to write to this representative in particular, and provide your pamphlet. For example, maybe your research showed that this representative sponsored legislation on this issue in the past.

Pamphlet should:

• Define the problem. Tells us exactly what the problem is. Detail its urgency and provide data. Be objective.
• Analyze the problem. Provide relevant data. Tell us how to make sense of the data. Provide any findings
• Offer a recommendation. Do not generalize. Be specific.
• Must be persuasive.
• Cite four scholarly sources

Submit your cover letter and pamphlet for grading.

Writing Requirements (APA format).

• Length: Cover letter to Congressman should be only 1 page
• Pamphlet should be 5 pages in length
• 1-inch margins
• 12-point Times New Roman font
• Reference page (minimum of 4 scholarly sources)

Answer preview

Studies reveal that increasing the minimum wage reduces available jobs as employers will work on ensuring that the few highly paid employees show increased productivity. Ghani (2016) cites a 2014 Congressional Budget Office study that found that setting the minimum wage at $10.10 per hour benefits more than 16.5 million people but eliminates 500,000 jobs. Despite the job losses, the wage increase will lift more than 16 million people from poverty. Besides, the majority of employees surviving at the current minimum wage also depends on government support programs like housing subsidies, food assistance, and health support, among other programs. Uplifting millions of people by increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour empowers the people to support themselves, and this reduces reliance on government programs. Therefore, the government can redirect the money that is used to support the people to resolve other social problems faced in the nation.

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