Recently, I received what I believed to be a telemarketing call. Instead, it was our congressman. That's right. U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus has decided to interact with his constituents through questions phrased and designed to receive the answers he wants. There was no opportunity for comment and no chance to provide feedback on issues which are important to me.
I suppose I should not be surprised. Rep. Rothfus never meets with constituents outside of pre-planned, carefully orchestrated events. Since he has voted to provide himself a larger tax cut than his average district resident and has voted to strip health care from the poor and needy, his absence from constituent interaction is notable.
He is not just absent from constituent concerns, however. When President Donald Trump degrades women, Rothfus is silent. When Trump says Mexicans are rapists, Rothfus is silent. When Trump insults allied nations whose soldiers fought bravely alongside American troops, Rothfus is silent. When Trump mocks a Gold Star family, Rothfus is silent. When Trump refers to neo-Nazis as good people, Rothfus is silent. The list can continue and continue.
And now, while crying infants are ripped from their pleading mothers’ arms along our southern border, our congressman refuses to condemn the person who created this policy — Donald Trump. Eventually, silence is acceptance. After years of evading us, at least I now know where my elected official stands.
Jonathan Douds, Brighton Township