( – promoted by lowkell)
The First Amendment says that people have the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Rep. Cantor and the staff he has hired must have been absent from class when they covered these rights.
On Thursday, the three of us, Eric Cantor’s constituents, were part of a group who went to his Culpepper office to try and have a meeting after weeks of getting the runaround in Richmond. Rep. Cantor has gone the entire August recess without holding a single town hall or public meeting. He works for us but he is running and hiding from his bosses, the taxpayers of his district and is oblivious to the jobs crisis in his district because of it.
When we arrived at the office, a single elderly female staffer greeted us. We explained to her that we wanted to talk to Rep. Cantor and had an appointment here at this office, which is why we all were here. She called the Richmond office and explained the situation to them, but they told her we should make an appointment on his web site, something that we all had already done.
We did not have a meeting, we did get a time to meet with Rep. Cantor, and we did not get to address ways he can be creating jobs at all. She then gave us the number to the Washington office but didn’t even do the favor of calling them, something she probably does multiple times a day. She then began going about her usual business, ignoring us even though we remained in the office.
When we were leaving, two police officers showed up and stated that they were there because someone reported suspicious behavior and suspicious persons – us. We continued out to our cars and left. As we did so, the police came out and remained in the parking lot to observe us leave.
Rep. Cantor has absolutely no intention of speaking with any of us and the police were meant to intimidate us so that we would not return. They are trying whatever they can in order not to meet with us, or anyone else for that matter.
This treatment, this assault to our dignity, is what the unemployed and underemployed go through on a daily basis. Those of us who are unemployed know that – having to go to bogus job fairs when there are no jobs there, going to apply for social services to keep the lights on, seeking assistance from financially strapped charitable organizations and relying on family and friends to try to stay afloat.
However, being treated as persons of interest for suspicious behavior was an ultimate slap in the face.
Eric Cantor is clueless to the dire situations people face every day around here and couldn’t care less about the circumstances they face. He is also not clear what his job requires of him – to listen to and be responsive to his constituents. His attitude shows that unless a camera is present for him to get face time, advance his career and his personal political agenda he seems oblivious to the devastation people are suffering in their lives. He is not interested in changing their circumstances.
Maybe if Eric Cantor was no longer Congressman Cantor and spent some time on the unemployment line he would have a better understanding of what life is really like in his own Congressional district.
Cassandra Bass
Marie Coone
Peggy Sterling
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