E-mail Petitions

[Tired_Old_Man 1]

Internet Petitions

I continually get petitions for ideas that someone thinks we need our US congressman to pass a law about. The E-mail petition usually comes with these (or similar instructions).

Instructions: To add your name, click forward, add your name at the bottom of the list. Send it to all you know. OR...COPY AND PASTE INTO A NEW MAIL... ADD YOUR NAME.

I am usually CC'ed in with around 30 to 40 people. Recently I received an E-mail petition which had 277 names on it already and was sent to 36 other people besides me. This was my "Reply All":

#1. A petition of this type has no value because names are not considered signatures

#2. The petition is fictitious. I received this E-mail with 277 names on it. Let's say I write my name on #278 and send it to 20 people. If 10 of those people add their name at 279 and forward it to 20 people, there will then be 10 different petitions going out to the 200 people because there will be 10 different #279's. If 100 of the people who receive those petitions add their name at #280 and forward it to 20 people, there will then be 100 different petitions going out to the 2000 people because there will be 10 different #279's and 10 different #280's for each #279. After 5 more signing and mailings, by the time #285 is signed, there will be 10,000,000 different partitions. Well that is bad enough, but the same thing would have happened if this was a legitimate partition. By the time #10 was signed and mailed, there would have been more different petitions than all the people in the world. If this partition was legit (assuming each person sent it to 10 people who signed it and mailed it on), there would be more petitions than there are atoms in all the people on the Earth.:faint:

#3. Congressman ignore petitions except from constituents from their district in their state and they have no way of knowing what state or district each name is from.

It is amazing how many "Yes, But..." replies I get back.

[*susan* 1,709]

Thank you, you are so right! I hate those things.

And another thing, Bill Gates is not going to share his fortune with us if we forward emails either!!!

[Mrs Husker 3]

What about the e-mails that state "If you don't send this to at least 10 people you don't support our troups/believe in God/am my friend".

[NeenBand 7]

I have to disagree, I sign those petitions, because believe it or not, some of them do get the word out and things get passed.

I know a senator and he says things like that actually do make a difference at times, depending on who is behind them and what they do with the force of names. SO keep signing people!

The only way we change things here in the US or elsewhere is to mass together, and those things help facilitate that in a way.

But I HATE those "send this to 20 friends in 5 minutes and you'll get a wish" things. Gah. It's like my friend's brains flashed back to the 8th grade for a moment, when they send those to me.

It's like getting handed a note: "DO YOU LIKE ME? CIRCLE YES OR NO AND PASS THIS BACK"

heh.

[Elisabethsew 50]

I heard those petitions are a way of collecting names for email promos. I delete them.

[Tired_Old_Man 1]

If your senator can not realize the phoniness of that type of petition, I wonder how he was able to get elected.

Petitions at certain websites that are made for petition signing are a totally different thing.

The best way to influence your representative using the internet is to go to his web-site and send a PM type correspondence.

Phone calls and postal mail are probably better.

When I want to influence my representatives, I go to their websites and write a personalized expression of my feelings toward an issue or to a bending bill. Then I copy that and paste my idea into an e-mail and send it, along with links to the appropriate state houses or federal government sites, to all the people in my address book.

[Tired_Old_Man 1]

Most people do not understand pyramiding or the power of powers.

Let me give you an example:

Story: The knight in shining armor saved the princess from the dragon, so the king offered the knight a choice of three rewards.

#1. $1,000,000,000 (one billion dollars):clap2:

#2. He would take a checkerboard and put 1 penny on the first square, double it and put 2 pennies on the next square,

double it and put 4 pennies on the next square,

double it and put 8 pennies on the next square,

double it and put 16 pennies on the next square

until all 64 squares have been used.

Then the knight could have all the money on the last square.:clap2:

#3. The knight could have all the money on the all the squares except the last square.:clap2:

Which would you take?

TOM

Answer to follow later.

By the way, they probably used a Chessboard instead of a checkerboard.

[NeenBand 7]

Actually, my senator rocks so very much, thank you.

I'm speaking of the website petitions, like the one at say, HSUS to stop the horse slaughter, which we did stop through those petitions.

I also write to my congressmen, senators, etc personally, but I will also sign legit petitions. Every little bit helps. TOM , your a jaded character. ;^p

The ones that come through the email that you sign your name to at the end?No.

[Tired_Old_Man 1]

Actually, my senator rocks so very much, thank you.

I'm speaking of the website petitions, like the one at say, HSUS to stop the horse slaughter, which we did stop through those petitions.

I also write to my congressmen, senators, etc personally, but I will also sign legit petitions. Every little bit helps. TOM , your a jaded character. ;^p

The ones that come through the email that you sign your name to at the end?No.

Heaven Forbid!

It sounds like we agree. Well, except for the Jade part.

[j.s. 0]

I have always wondered about those petitions, if they do any good at all or not. I think this will allow me to just delete and not care about them anymore. Thanks TOM!

[katt 0]

T.O.M. - you are a really deep thinker. Wow. Katt

[Goannabanda 0]

umm, these petitions are hoax emails and should be deleted.

Same as those emails that have jokes, powerpoint presentations, appeals for money, virus warning messages etc.

You can google them to find out more - there's plenty of websites about hoax emails and virus warnings around - e.g. hoaxbusters, urbanlegends, hoax-slayer etc.

[Tired_Old_Man 1]

Most people do not understand pyramiding or the power of powers.

Let me give you an example:

Story: The knight in shining armor saved the princess from the dragon, so the king offered the knight a choice of three rewards.

#1. $1,000,000,000 (one billion dollars):clap2:

#2. He would take a checkerboard and put 1 penny on the first square, double it and put 2 pennies on the next square,

double it and put 4 pennies on the next square,

double it and put 8 pennies on the next square,

double it and put 16 pennies on the next square

until all 64 squares have been used.

Then the knight could have all the money on the last square.:clap2:

#3. The knight could have all the money on the all the squares except the last square.:clap2:

Which would you take?

TOM

Answer to follow later.

By the way, they probably used a Chessboard instead of a checkerboard.

OK!! Now for the anwer

If you chose #1, you would receive $1,000,000,000

If you chose #2, you would receive approximately $92,233,720,368,547,800

If you chose #3, you would receive one penny less than #2

#2 is over 90,000 times #1

#2 is over 90 times what the US government will spend in 2006

#2 is more money than all the governments in the world will spend in 2006

And #2 accumulated with one penny being doubled enough times to fill a checkerboard. One Penny!!

[nursekathy2u 0]

OK!! Now for the anwer

If you chose #1, you would receive $1,000,000,000

If you chose #2, you would receive approximately $92,233,720,368,547,800

If you chose #3, you would receive one penny less than #2

#2 is over 90,000 times #1

#2 is over 90 times what the US government will spend in 2006

#2 is more money than all the governments in the world will spend in 2006

And #2 accumulated with one penny being doubled enough times to fill a checkerboard. One Penny!!

Well I just dont understand how all those pennies would fit on a checkerboard.....

I've heard a similar analogy applied to playing Blackjack. If you always double your bet, whether you win or lose, you will eventually come out ahead or something like that.. I have never been brave enough to try it.

[Tired_Old_Man 1]

I've heard a similar analogy applied to playing Blackjack. If you always double your bet, whether you win or lose, you will eventually come out ahead or something like that.. I have never been brave enough to try it.

The theory about doubling your bet in BlackJack is similar to the one that says buy $10,000 worth of stock, if it goes down 10%, buy double or $20,000 more, if it goes down 10%, buy double again or $40,000 more, etc. These theories all work as long as you have unlimited money. BUT...If you had unlimited money, you wouldn't need these strategies.

Using the system above, by the time the stock dropped to 25% of its original value, you would have invested over $120,000,000 (120 Million).

If you started with a $5 bet in blackjack and double each time you lose, by the 5th game you will have $120 invested. By the 10th game you will have almost $4,000 invested, but after 15 loses, your next bet will have your invested at a quarter of a million dollars.