News for the Ninth - 01.22.2010

The American people are angry and what we saw in Massachusetts is a raw example of that anger. What we are seeing is the depth of people’s concern about the direction of our country under the current leadership, with the message being that Americans strongly support the system of checks and balances in our government.

 

I get that message and hear you all loud and clear. In fact, since my first day in office, I have pledged to be your voice in Washington, D.C. In order to understand what issues are important to you, I have actively encouraged you to write, call, email, and post messages on Facebook and YouTube. Your response to that call has been overwhelming, extremely enlightening and helpful.

 

For example, in my first year in office, I have responded with more than 52,000 letters to constituents all across the 9^th District. Interestingly, the top six issues that received the most attention from you are on issues that are also critical to me: the budget, the economy, cap-and-tax, health care, government reform and abortion.

 

My staff has also visited more than 50 communities this past year as part of my office’s Constituent Service Days tours. These have been a huge success and have allowed people to walk in to a location in their local community and meet face-to-face with my staff to raise their concerns and have their questions answered.

 

While letters, emails and social networking posts are critical to serving you, I personally enjoy meeting with constituents face-to-face. This past year, I attended more than 400 meetings in the District with people just like you on a variety of issues. And to be perfectly frank, not everyone agrees with me and yet those discussions are important to me because it is critical that I weigh all sides of every issue. 

 

Another way for me to communicate with people when I’m in Washington is through tele-town hall meetings. This system allows me to take questions live on the phone with people throughout the District, and in some cases we have had several thousand folks on the line participating. I have held more than a dozen of these calls throughout the District and will continue to do so throughout the year. They are invaluable.

 

I appreciate all of you for being so active in your government. I have done my best to listen to what you’ve had to say and be responsive to your requests. In the year ahead, I will continue to do my best to serve the constituents of Missouri’s 9^th District. That is my pledge to you.