Dear Fellow Democrat,

...writes Governor Howard Dean, M.D., Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, enclosing another survey. The survey heading says,

Special Notice for Terrence Berres
You have been selected to represent Franklin, WI in the 2005 Grassroots Survey of Democratic Leaders. Survey documents registered in your name are enclosed.

I hope my party has better mailing lists than the Democrats. On to some of the questions.

1. Which of the following issues is the most important to you? Please rank from 1-10 with "1" being the most important to you.

Must be a lot of Bo Derek fans among Democrats. I might have picked the war in Iraq, or countering terrorism, but these weren't listed. I assume Gov. Dean and his party are aware of them. Perhaps they are included in the choice "National security/foreign policy" or "Other."

8. Thinking about the issue of education, which of the following is your number one priority? Please select only one answer.

This survey has three possible answers, each of which starts with the word "funding." No "Other."

13. Do you support increased defense spending to fight the war against terrorism?

Yes or no. Actually "No, the money should be spent on domestic needs like education and health care." Maybe this should have been added to the funding answers for question 8.

In his cover letter, Gov. Dean reviews progress to date.

The fact is, the investments we have made in grassroots organizing have put our [sic] Party in excellent position to re-energize Democrats and engage the American people with a positive plan for a nation's future.

Eventually?

All that's missing is the energy, commitment and support you can provide as the newest member of the Democratic National Committee.

Also still missing is a mailing list of Democrats.