In these early days of the Trump administration, our lawmakers have received unprecedented public response. With so much power in the hands of one party, tyranny is a real concern and we are fortunate so many are exercising their constitutional right to peacefully protest.
In a working democracy, a lawmaker’s most important task is to be responsive to constituents. At Rep. Scott Tipton’s office in Alamosa recently, a friend and I were informed that the congressman will probably not be physically appearing here before August!
The tech-savvy may attend an online town meeting scheduled for later this month, but the job description includes time to appear in home territory on a regular basis.
As I prepare to pay my taxes, I am reminded President Donald Trump has not produced his tax returns. The congressional committee on taxation can require the IRS to release them, as recently urged by Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-NJ. Breaking with precedent, our billionaire president has not put his business in a blind trust and his family accesses business connections by the power of his office. Is conflict of interest business-as-usual for public office?
Like five other wealthy Trump cabinet members, Education Secretary Betsy De Vos was a huge Trump donor and certainly won approval from those whose campaign received funding from her, including Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner ($50,000). Congress has backed Trump with the highest partisan loyalty since Eisenhower, despite the fact that a few months ago he was anathema to most of the Republican Party.
We must call upon on our representatives’ courage, good will and conscientious performance of duty to keep democracy alive. Let us hope that in the excitement of their party’s complete control of our political fate, our Republican members of Congress don’t forget they are accountable to all the people – not just the ones who tweet mean or can pay.
Anne Silver
Moffat
