You should never pass up an opportunity to meet your lawmakers, regardless of whether their politics agree with yours. Likewise, you should never pass up an opportunity to contact them about issues important to you. And you are well advised to avoid accusing them of partisanship or other shenanigans if you want serious consideration of your specific issue.

I saw a demonstration of this today at a town hall meeting in Hendersonville, a bedroom community of Nashville. The town's two state representatives held a town hall meeting to discuss energy concerns and issues. Their panel included representatives of the oil industry, convenience stores and gas stations, natural gas, alternative fuels, and new energy technologies.

My concern was an phenomenon known as "hot fuel," which is something I hear a lot about from my involvement in the trucking industry. I had been communicating with Rep. Debra Maggart about the issue, sending her links to information about the concern, and she kindly alerted me to the meeting. In fact, she had told me, and mentioned at the town hall, that she had put the issue on a list for possible inclusion in legislation next year.

Also present was state Rep. Susan Lynn, who had attended an energy conference recently and earlier this summer, had an op-ed published in the Wall Street journal supporting expanded oil exploration and drilling.

In the open mic portion of the meeting, various speakers urged more support for alternative energies, lower taxes on fuel, more incentives for home-generated electricity. I spent my few minutes giving an overview of the hot fuel issue, and, at one point, politely disagreeing with Rep. Lynn, about whether morning is the best time of day to gas up (it doesn't make any difference).

The next speaker, however, came armed with grievances and spent most of his time railing about the representatives' partisanship and partisanship in general. At the end of his comments, the reps thanked him graciously and went on smoothly. He'd had the satisfaction of venting, but had not accomplished anything else. In fact, he was from outside their districts and apparently had driven more than 40 miles one-way to have his say. That's energy conservation for ya.

Besides leaving your politics at home, other tips to effectively address lawmakers include: