Call Me Crazy...........(thank you for looking)

                                   

5/4/2010
Dear Congressman Baccerra and Congressman Gutierrez (and Congressman LoBiondo, as well- see key words further down the page) "Call Me Crazy" but don't just ignore me,

I contacted your offices last week and spoke to several staff members.  I asked them to forward to you, two very busy legislators, a very simple request.  So simple it was, had they operated with any authority or  flexibility to make decisions on their own, I wouldn't be writing and adding this page to my web site.   What this page is, actually, is a follow up to the page added last week called "Dear Legislators (D)."  You can go to the navigation button "Blog Diary" and then go to the appropriate drop down. 

For the uninitiated, and also very busy average person, who has no time for games, and who gratefully may have wandered to this site, what I asked the hoity toity staffers was to simply go to the facebook page, called Atlantic County Democrats- and after first checking me out,  become an Atlantic County Democrat  fan (link was provided).  Nothing more!  I explained that I'm not raising a nickel, I don't have any money of my own to contribute to my campaign either- but  rest assured-  I'm the actual "Democrat" candidate opposing Frank LoBiondo in November, and that my ballot position is a lock.  I  said the Atlantic County  facebook page was created just recently, I'm the only one posting on the wall, and it might be interesting if the Democratic honchos in my county started observing members of the United States Congress adding their imprimatur to the site,  by simply showing up as fans. Being that I have such a strong background and knowledge of Hispanic issues, namely immigration reform, contacting Congressman Gutierrez and Baccerra was the logical place to start.

Well it's been a week and absolutely nothing!  Gutierrez's office was polite, but ultimately unresponsive.  Baccerra's office was down right rude.  Jake S. you wouldn't even consent to give me your congressional email address, remember?  Then you shuffled me off to the voice mail of Debra D.  I emphatically assured you she would never call me back.  And she didn't, even though I left a polite, detailed message, including the information that I had two undocumented Mexicans live with us for 5 years and I'm the Dem.(and former life long Republican) on the ballot this fall opposing a Republican congressman who some what exploits the issue!

Messrs. Gutierrez  and Baccerra, yesterday when I looked up the YouTube , A Man Alone by Frank Sinatra, I coincidentally also clicked on to this YouTube below; splendidly done by Sinatra's daughter Nancy.  If you use your imagination it seems to conjure up the average citizens ill will towards Washington, D.C.* bureaucrats lately, even though it's set in San Francisco, Nancy Pelosi's home town by the way.  I'd have eventually gotten around to asking her offices for the "atta boy" as well, by grinding down the list of Congresspeople till I got to the letter "P" and asking her staffers if they'd add her as well, to the Atlantic County Dem page, as a fan. I won't do that now, I see all to well that Congressman and their staffers like asking other people for favors come election time, but try asking them to put themselves out, in just the most harmless way, is more then they can stomach. It's not like a was asking friggin Republicans to add their pictures to the Democrats facebook page, and thanks to Senator Carl Levin and his numerous use of the "S" word, I have no problem saying "friggin".  Here's that Sinatra (Nancy) youtube you heartless Washington elitists!  And on a lighter note, you can't be all serious, all the time, doesn't it look like she's pulling up to the nefarious old Watergate Towers in Washington?


 
                                        

Call Me Crazy, but I'll make the nexus  to my Congressman after I have lunch and the mysterious "M" gets a sneak peak of this "unfiltered" screed.
___________________________2 days later..........................

facebook              Christopher F confirmed you as a friend on facebook                 yesterday

                                                                           

Gary Stein Thanks for adding me Chris, now please spread the word. Like the hippie bus in your pic. Here's some San Francisco acid rock from back in the day. Any guesses Hammonton who the group is without googling?
http://www.steinforcongress2010.com/Town_Hall_News.html

8 minutes ago ·  ·

_______________________________________continuing......................

O.K. How's my congressman fit in with any of this mishigoss? I was thinking of the Congressman's vaunted reputation of efficiently handling constituent concerns and complaints.  As I've mentioned elsewhere on this site i.e., Town Hall News, I called the Congressman's office about 4 years ago ........

2  paragraphs reprinted from the page, Stein for Congress 2010 Town Hall News, a letter to the editor (unpublished).......

."But what about the congressman’s vaunted 2 to 3 hours a day talking privately to his constituents about their anger over health care reform- as you reported on Monday?  Three years ago I called the Congressman’s office after a lying- cheating health insurance company welched on reimbursing us, and our care givers, for about $7000 dollars of first time claims on an expensive policy we purchased.  The Congressman never called me back to discuss- or learn a little what goes on in the outside world.  Instead his office gave me a phone #, yes a phone # to the State of NJ Banking and Insurance division.  Thank you congressman, and I’m delighted to learn you’re just barely more responsive in 2009 then you were in 07…..now you take personal phone calls on the issue.   Do you talk to the “mad as hell not going to take it anymore," call ins, the so-so mad ones, or mostly to supporters?  That question wasn't answered in the article."

 For the purposes of this page, Call Me Crazy, here's the crux of the problem as related to Congressman LoBiondo.  He campaigned in 1994 on the pledge that he'd run a bare bones staff, and he's kept that pledge.  I believe he's operated with the smallest staff of any Congressional office from our state.  I'm not sure why that was so important to the Congressman (shallow, easy to keep, good PR) but perhaps his staff is too small to handle the tough complaints?  Some of their time is surely spent handling travel arrangements to and from fund raisers, photo ops etc.  Our Representative defends certain earmarks, so how is one or two more additional staffers, living in the district- where they would also contribute to the local economy- different then a pork project, which once it's brought to the district, the Congressman has no control of how efficiently the money is spent? 

If I'm elected.  No fund raising for 2012, no shmoozing with other pols in the state at their fund raisers, no wasted travel, no photo ops, but definitely adequate staff to handle every constituent phone call and complaint-----with a special personal interest to any phone call concerning Health Insurance Company malfeasance.!!!

                                                Stunt!