I think someone needs to go look for our congressman.
Congress is in recess this week and, all across the nation, representatives are meeting with their constituents. But not here.
I called Rep. Randy Weber’s office this week and asked when and where the next town hall would be and I was told to check his website. I did and I let the staffer know that according to his website, he hasn’t held a town hall since May of 2016.
And I don’t get it.
Last week Weber cast a vote in favor of the Affordable Health Care Act, the healthcare bill that could affect millions of people.
By “affect” I mean millions of folks to lose health insurance. Specifically, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the AHCA will lead to 24 million Americans losing insurance coverage.
Millions more will pay higher premiums if they lose coverage. This is because while the bill urges insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions, it doesn’t forbid charging more for pre-existing conditions if there’s been a lapse in coverage.
I’ll remind readers that an early draft of this bill included an exemption for Congressional representatives and their staffers; they could keep using the Obamacare provisions even as they stripped them from the rest of us.
Anyway, one pre-existing condition, which could cause premiums to rise, is obesity. Another is asthma. Anybody out there overweight? Anybody got asthma?
And so I called Rep. Weber’s office to ask him what he would like to tell his constituents who might have weight issues or breathing problems.
They told me to email, and so I did.
That was last week and since then I’ve heard crickets.
I don’t deny him a right to his opinion or vote. I can respect a Republican who votes to do what he believes is right for his constituents and I can find fault with a Democrat who waivers on his principles and who votes just to keep his job. But I cannot respect anyone who would claim to represent me and then not bother to explain himself or his beliefs to his critics.
Like the song says, “living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.”
During campaign season you hear a lot of talk about the out-of-touch elites who run Washington, D.C. You hear a lot of bad talk about those politicians who are unaccountable.
Yes, healthcare is a big-time hot-button issue that’s rightfully got a lot of folks very upset. But if a politician isn’t willing to at least face his constituents and explain himself and his position on healthcare, well, that’s pretty unaccountable, I’d say. In fact, I’d say that’s hardly representation at all.
In his 2011 video announcement of his candidacy for congress, he says he works for “you.”
Weird.
In my experience, my employees respond to my emails and phone calls. Maybe Rep. Weber’s had some laid back bosses.
Or, maybe he doesn’t work for us. Maybe he works for somebody else.
Sure, the ACHA isn’t all bad. Why, according to Forbes magazine, it’s a $274 billion tax cut for the richest two percent of Americans. Maybe he’s working for them.
And so I am sure, during this week he will be busy doing something, somewhere, for somebody.
Somebody else.
For his sake, I sure hope they remember to vote for him.