CITIZEN’S DUTY: Enjoyment of Hearing from Congress
by Les Weaver
Clash Daily Contributor
Since Obama became President, I have become quite active to both telephone and email to the official offices of those that profess that they both represent me and are conscientiously practicing good stewardship of my tax money. I believe neither, because I argue that unless a constituent campaigns for them or makes a large campaign contribution, they only care about tax payments and the ballot box. My two Senators and Representative are all far left. One Senator and my Rep. are very senior and therefore highly experienced in spin, side-stepping and polished at reverting to the “L” word.
On the telephone, I am either given opportunity to leave a recorded message or I get a staffer. It soon became obvious that many of these staffers are unpaid interns, in training to one day become polished at spin and “L’s”. Some have tried to have me drink from their campaign punch bowl until I remind them that their job is to convey my message to their mentor, not the other way around and that I pay their mentors salary. Makes them angry!
The same holds true for the staffers that receive emails and determine which of many pre-canned email messages they will send as reply. But generally I do not receive a reply. Frequently when I send an email about subject “A”, I receive a reply subject “X”. I have complained about this by phone to the appropriate office but have, without failure, been connected to a staffer that has an I.Q. that is smaller than my hat size. In talking to other citizens, the two above incidents occur from both sides of the aisle.
This is my classic example: Months after Obama was sworn in to his first term, I emailed my senior Senator, complaining about a particular issue and Obama’s inexperience. Being far left, that Senator replied by email espousing all of Obama’s attributes. (I didn’t drink that Spin flavored Kool-Aide either). But that Senator did NOT answer the subject question. Classic within that email was that “one of my jobs is to get along with the President”. This from a U.S. Senator that we would assume is learned in the Constitution.
Since that time, from monthly to quarterly, I either phone or email that Senator’s office asking where in the Constitution, his Oath of Office, or even the Federalist Papers, “getting along with the President” is noted as a function and/or responsibility of anyone in congress?
As I approach six years since that Senator sent that email, I still have not received an answer, neither from a staffer or by email. Surely someone outside of the Congress has an answer. In the interim, I will continue to ask his office for reference to law or other authority because if “getting along” is what the Congress is elected for, we don’t need a Congress. We only have to accept the President as any or all of: King, Monarch, Emperor, Tsar, Empire Leader, (Reich Fuhrer), Great Leader, Caliph, Imam, Emir, or some other carefully selected, self-elevating title of authority.
Oops, I may have exposed a grand intent!
Image: http://wondergressive.com/technological-advancements-detriment-hearing/
