Representative Dennis Cardoza Afraid To Face His Voters

Link is to Google cache because regular link is down.

Won’t you come home Dennis Cardoza? Why won’t you come home? They cried the whole night long.”

Normally this is the one time of the year that we can expect to hear from our Congressman. Traditionally there are Town Hall meetings to give the constituents a one on one with their Congress in discussion of the various topics being debated on Capitol Hill.

Our Congressman Dennis Cardoza says there will be no Town Hall meetings. He is not expected to return to Merced County over the summer recess.

The voters want to hear from him on some of the most important issues of the day. The Health Care bill tops that list with about as many people for it as against it.

Congressman Dennis Cardoza proclaims himself a “Blue Dog” Democrat and therefore is advocating a different approach to Health Care reform than the main line Democrats, however it is not certain what portions of the bill he supports and what he does not.

Merced County is witnessing one of the worst unemployment levels in its history and the home foreclosure problem still has not been solved. In fact, word has it, that a major flood of foreclosed homes is about to hit the market.

Where is Dennis Cardoza to answer his constituent’s questions?

He did speak at a meeting sponsored by “One Voice” about a month ago and called the mess in Washington like “drinking out of a fire hose”.

He did not say a lot about what kind of solutions he was recommending, nor did he state what kinds of reforms he was advocating for Health Care.

We realize that Congressman Dennis Cardoza has obligations at his new home in Maryland. He has a family and we would not want him to deprive his family of fatherly time and support.

However all too often we have wondered where our Congressman is when important issues are taking place here in Merced County.

Or is this just a case of not wanting to meet the voters face to face?

FOOTNOTE:

Just because Congressman Dennis Cardoza will not be conducting Town Hall meetings, it does not bar the way for some other organization like the League of Women Voters to fill the gap. Town Hall meetings have become an important part of the political system, a “grass roots” way of getting information to Congress. Let’s keep that tradition alive.

[edit on 8/15/09 by Ferris.Bueller.II]