Athens —
U.S. Representative Jeb Hensarling created quite a scene at the Henderson County Annex on Wednesday.
Hensarling, who represents Athens and Henderson County in the U.S. House of Representatives, came for a town hall meeting. The response was overwhelming.
By our count, all 60 chairs in the room were filled, and another 70 or so stood along the walls. On top of that, there were literally so many people trying to hear what the congressman had to say, about 10 or 15 more stood in the hallway leading into the room.
And don’t even get us started on the parking situation ...
We point all that out to underscore that politics should work in this very way. We send someone to represent us, and we expect that someone to come home every now and then and own up to what he or she has been doing in Washington or Austin. When our elected representative does show up, we should respond in large numbers.
But there’s one group that was noticeably absent Wednesday — the young.
While it would be nice to see teen-agers and college-age students in the crowd, we’re talking about those from age 25 to about 45. We rarely see this age range at such meetings, and they surely weren’t well-represented among the throng that crowded in to see Hensarling.
To be fair, this age group is typically one that is raising children and juggling long hours at work while serving as the head chef, riot police and activities director at the old homestead.
Even so, this “middle-aged” group, if you will, must stay informed. Over the past few years, we’ve heard about and watched drastic changes in areas such as education, health care and public safety. In some instances, politicians have cast votes that were unpopular among their constituents.
Griping about it in the breakroom at work will never fix those problems. Getting involved, even if by merely just showing up to a town hall meeting and directly questioning our elected representatives, just might.
— Athens Review
Opinion
The future is calling, but will anyone answer?
- Opinion
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RICH FLOWERS: The Splash Pad will be an asset to Athens, not a drain
The long, hot, summer is about to set in and there will be plenty of dog days between now and the time the Splash Pad opens.
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5/17 MAIL CALL: You might want to check those ‘numbers’ again
My thanks to our congressman who stood up for the Second Amendment. They obviously read the proposed background check bill and determined that it was a “feel good” bill that would not have prevented the shootings at Newton, Tucson or Aurora.
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MAIL CALL: Are the facts becoming inconvenient truths?
I read with interest an article in the Dallas Morning News, May 8, 2013, concerning gun crime over the past 20 years.
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JOE ELERSON: I’m still amazed at the superhuman feats of mothers
This Sunday marks another day where we give special attention to the mothers in our lives for all they have done to make us the men and women that we are today.
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JEFF RIGGS: Boy, have newspapers really changed over the years!
How newspapers have changed! And, much of it has to do with modernization through computers.
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5/9 MAIL CALL: America needs a serious change of heart
When God destroyed the Earth with a flood because of the evilness of man I’ve often wondered what those people were doing that men and women are not doing now.
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JAYSON LARSON: Pennies on the dollar and worth so, so much
Sometimes I wish I could get back all the money I ever spent on baseball cards.
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5/4 MAIL CALL: Can you hear me now? Please turn it down!
Today I was driving home and had to stop to cross Highway 19. A white SUV pulled up behind me and had his music and bass so loud that my ears were actually hurting in my car.
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5/4 MAIL CALL: Maybe you should take your views elsewhere
I have a suggestion for Michele Rhodes (Mail Call, April 25, “Texas senators lied to us about gun legislation.”)
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5/4 MAIL CALL: Obama’s priorities are clearly out of whack
It appears our President cannot take a definitive position on anything, except, of course, Obama Care, abortion, GLBT rights, including same sex marriage.
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