To the Editor:

If you were the boss of three employees (let’s call them Mark Meadows, Thom Tillis, and Richard Burr) and they repeatedly refused to meet with you and even refused to answer your questions about the way they were doing their jobs, how would you feel about it? Frustrated? Disrespected? Outraged?

Our elected officials are public servants who are supposed to be working for us, who are supposed to be improving our quality of life. That’s why we pay them.

So how is it that despite many requests and demonstrations, our representatives have stubbornly refused to hold town halls, have refused to meet with us as a group to answer our questions face to face?

I was puzzled about this until I realized that these politicians do not regard us as their constituents.  Constituents are people you feel you have to respect — people you feel you’re answerable to. Clearly, Meadows, Tillis, and Burr have not been acting as if they work for us.  It’s not us they feel obliged to represent.

They do, however, seem to regard Republican Party heads, special-interest groups, and billionaire donors, such as Betsy DeVos, as their bosses. Apparently, if we want their ear, we need to pony up $70,000 in campaign contributions.

So what would you do if you were the boss of three employees who were stubbornly insubordinate? Employees who ignored your repeated requests for a meeting? Wouldn’t you fire them?

Bill Spencer

Cullowhee