Voices cast into a vacuum

To the Editor:

Our elected U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen hasn’t had an in-person town hall with us constituents since 2011. He only comes out in public under circumstances where he can control the narrative.

Even his visit to a Chaska High School class saw him dodging important questions from students. Think about that. He won’t even be honest to our children.

Dean Phillips, a potential challenger to Paulsen in 2018, just had a maxed-out town hall, where constituents met to discuss our needs and the future for our children.

Keith Ellison isn’t even our representative, but he attended a town hall in our district to hear our concerns.

If you haven’t noticed yet, our elected representative doesn’t want to hear from you. He’s actively ignoring us. We are of no concern to him. Our voices are silenced when cast into a vacuum.

If we want real change in our lives, our environment and the country abroad, we need to find those who are willing to listen to our needs. Not ignore them.

Scott Welvaert, Chaska
Chaska Herald, June 16, 2017