“Be the change that you want to see in the world.” My name is Stephen Sprague and I want to be the next United States Representative of The Sixth Congressional District of Tennessee. The path to doing this has five (5) initial hurdles; the first four come from the Tennessee Election Commission and the last one comes from the Federal Election Commission (FEC): first, I must collect, on a Nomination Petition, the names and addresses of at least twenty-five (25) registered voters from within the district; second, I must be at least 25 years of age; third, I must be a citizen of the United States for 7 years; and forth, I must be a Tennessee resident. I meet or exceed all those requirements. Fifth and finally, My campaign must have received contributions of, or spent, over $5,000. Frankly, like so many Americans today, I do not have over $5,000 to spend on starting a political campaign. Still, somehow the FEC has come to equate dollars with support. So, since the FEC rules make federal elections all about money right from the start, I must ask for Your help with support in the form of money. But first, and most importantly, I am writing to introduce Myself and My campaign to You all. I am the eldest son of a Journeyman Stonemason and a devoted Homemaker. I served Our country as an enlisted man for seven (7) years on a nuclear submarine in the United States Navy. I earned My Bachelor’s Degree in Communication with a Concentration in Human Communication Theory and a Minor in Computer Science from Western Michigan University. I have done some graduate studies at Tennessee Technological University. I have been working in Information Services and Technologies since 1969. When Bart Gordon announced that He is stepping out of Office at the end of his current term, I began thinking about the situation in Washington D. C. in a whole new way. So, today, I submit Myself as an Independent Candidate: Independent of political parties, Independent of corporations, and beholding only to The People of the 6th Congressional District of Tennessee. My political position is that since I want to be a Representative of The People, My thinking matters no more than anybody’s. What matters to Me is the thinking of The People that I seek to represent: You all. My campaign for office shall consist of meetings with The People for the purpose of sharing what previous interviews have already revealed to Me, and interviewing more people. I am not running for office, but submit myself for Your consideration. I am not a professional politician, but a Communicator and budding public administrator. I am not playing a game, but applying for a job. I hope that You will see the value of My position and support it with a contribution of a dollar, or more if You can, up to $2,400 per election. Please send your contributions and inquiries to: S R Sprague for 6th District Representative P. O. Box 4191 Cookeville, TN 38502-4191 Web site: http://www.srsforrep.us/ Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Stephen R. Sprague, BS CAS/cs + eMail: srs@srsforrep.us