Mail Call: Beilenson’s Week Is Full of Job Advice

Mail from constituents is one way members of Congress keep in touch with the thoughts and concerns of those they represent. Responding to constituent mail--and generating taxpayer-funded newsletters--is also a valued reelection tool for these officeholders.

Members of the House of Representatives received 180 million cards and letters in 1986, the most recent year for which figures are available. Lawmakers in turn sent out 758 million pieces of mail.

The Times read the mail of Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Tarzana) during a workweek last year. A sampler of a workweek in the life of a congressman’s mail follows.

MONDAY: Preprinted cards supporting and opposing aid to the Nicaraguan Contras are a standoff at seven for each side. A total of 21 cards arrive opposing a proposed cut in the amount Medicare will pay for cataract surgery. A letter from Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi to President Reagan charges that “the people of Hawaii are getting shafted” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In a handwritten letter, a 77-year-old ex-Marine from Los Angeles calls for “less killings and more understanding, please! For God’s sake, let’s pause, take a long look, make up our mind who and what we are and really believe in, and get some unity into our beloved nation before twilight turns into night and it is too late.”

A telegram from a Sacramento man warns of an impending earthquake that will kill 100,000 in metropolitan areas. The man says 14 peacocks, which can give four hours advance warning, are under observation. The “writer may be a fool,” the telegram concludes. “But, if right, you have destroyed California.”

TUESDAY: A dozen cards opposing an attempt, which Beilenson supports, to raise cigarette excise taxes arrive. “I have smoked for almost 48 years, so the taxes I have already paid would be enough to pay off my share of the national debt,” a Canoga Park man writes.

Another Canoga Park man colorfully registers his opposition to Supreme Court nominee Robert H. Bork: “Better Mork Than Bork.”

A Delaware man writes that he has “invented a better seat belt” and includes diagrams and illustrations. “It makes a person desire to put on the seat belt,” he claims.

WEDNESDAY: Four pre-printed cards arrive opposing Bork, even though only the Senate can vote on Supreme Court nominations. Nine pre-printed cards urge preservation of Social Security and Medicare without reductions.

A hand-scrawled post card charges that Beilenson is a “chum of Teddy Bear Kennedy and Gary Hart” who are referred to as the “loose ones” and lovers of the “great paper bureaucracy of social programs--we’ll choke on!”

A handwritten note on one of another 28 pro-cigarette cards urges: “Better that you use your time and energy to find a cure for AIDS, which will kill everyone sooner than smoke in the air.”

THURSDAY: Seventeen cards supporting limits on immigration are received. A post card with a picture of a cow jammed into a shipping crate calls for support of the “Calf Protection Act.” The legislation includes standards for humane treatment of calves.

There is also an invitation to meet with King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain during their California visit. They were in Los Angeles from Sept. 30 until Oct. 2.

A “Dear Colleague” letter from Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) says, “Apparently, the tuition at Harvard has gotten so high that a group of students lobbying for changes in the McCarran Walter Act can’t afford to buy stamps for their lobbying effort. They asked me if I would forward their cards to you.”

The students object to the exclusion or deportation of aliens based on ideological beliefs.

FRIDAY: More cards arrive urging support for Lt. Col. Oliver North and the Contras, opposing a cigarette tax increase, and calling for the preservation of Social Security and Medicare.

A black yarmulke accompanies a letter from Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) seeking campaign contributions for Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). Lautenberg, who faces a tough 1988 reelection fight, spearheaded an unsuccessful effort to allow Jews in the military to wear skull caps while in uniform.

Finally, there is a letter sure to deflate any lawmaker’s ego. Addressed to “Congressperson for West Los Angeles,” it begins: “Although I am embarrassed to admit I do not know your name. . . .” The writer opposes Bork’s nomination.

The Senate rejected Bork’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

WEEKLY COUNT: A total of 534 cards and letters from constituents on issues arrived during the week, according to the tally sheet prepared for Beilenson by an aide. The largest number, 90, voiced support for North and the Contras. Another 66 oppose Contra aid.

Beilenson, who opposes military aid to the Contras, will send an updated form letter on his opposition to Contra aid to the opponents. He will discard the supporters’ cards without responding.

The 21 cards opposing new restrictions of airspace for general aviation aircraft will be answered with a newly drafted form letter. Others, including letters opposing compensation for Japanese-Americans interred during World War II and supporting gay and lesbian rights, go to Beilenson. He will decide whether to respond and, if so, in what manner.