Ashamed of Congress

Dear Editor:
Hello Sen. Menendez Campaign Person: I was concerned over the fact that Sen. Menendez has not scheduled any town hall meetings in this 2012 election cycle. I sent the senator an e-mail last week expressing this single point. My answer from the senate is as follows: “During election season, town halls are organized by political campaigns. I am not permitted to share information about such events using official U.S. government resources through my U.S. Senate office. This information may only be shared through my campaign offices (Menendez for Senate).” Can you please explain who is running the senator’s campaign, because it sounds as if the senator is being told what to do by his campaign committee–which to me makes no sense, but makes pure “political” sense in creating a convenient scapegoat for persons like myself who would ask the “hard” questions at a town hall meeting. Let me remind the senator that NJ is in trouble with unemployment higher than the national average at 9.9percent — which is really about 18 percent. I have questions, concerns and input into and about Social Security, Medicare, rising utility costs, rising gas prices at the pumps, job creation, the Congress and a whole lists of issues I am very concerned about. And if what the senator said about not being permitted “to share information about such events using official U.S. government resources through my U.S. Senate office.
This information may only be shared through my campaign offices”, what about other senators and congressmen across the nation who are having town hall meetings this very moment? It is clear that Sen. Menendez does not want to face New Jerseyans in the town hall setting. Add to this whole farce the redistricting of North Jersey’s 8th district (my district) gerrymandered by the last Census into the 9th and 13th Congressional Districts where Rothman (8th) lost in the primary to Pascrell now running against Rabbi Boteach. My district is totally out of the “political loop” with no voice in the 13th (Albio Sires) until 1/13, and no voice in the present non-existent 8th district, and no voice with my senator — I’m talking about a ‘face-to-face’ voice –not a generic e-mail response that says absolutely nothing in reference to my concerns. This is “Democracy” — give me a break, the system is broke … and the incumbents do not want to fix it … they feed the broken machine … and north Jersey has been thrown under the bus (albeit, with lots of the rest of the country.) BTW … when I called the (732) 640-2244 number to speak to someone on the senator’s campaign team to get an answer, I was told I couldn’t speak to anyone — but was given this e-mail. There is something very wrong this equation — it’s the only job on earth where the “employer” — that is you and the illustrious senator — ‘elect’ to not speak to their respective “employers” and elector, a.k.a. “constituents”.

Ashamed of Congress,
John Amato

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