If you know me, you know I have… opinions.
What you might not know is that unlike most people with opinions, I actually do something about them. I sign and circulate petitions, I donate money, and I send hundreds of messages per year directly to my elected representatives.
Today, something weird happened.
For the first time in thirty-plus years of legislative activism, one of my elected representatives actually responded to me. I don’t mean a form letter, but an actual response, not only referencing details of my original message but even including information about the topic not in my original message. Using the pronoun “I” and “signed” with the representative’s name.
I’m in a little bit of shock. Maybe it was just an intern ordered to communicate in the first person on his employer’s behalf, but it was at the very least read and digested by an actual human, and thoughtfully responded to.
Thirty years. It took thirty years for a human to read one of my pleas to our oligarchy. I don’t know what to do with this. Should I be happy I finally got through? Should I be horrified that this means all the others were ignored, because modern politicians *can* choose to read and respond, but haven’t?
I’m so conflicted…