Letter to the Editor | ActionAgenda organizer published account of Toomey call in Sunday Patriot New
Originally published on PennLive by the Patriot News
I recently had a disturbing telephone conversation with a staffer at Sen. Pat Toomey's Harrisburg office. I think his constituents ought to know that their concerns may not be communicated to Toomey even if they reach his office.
During the call I mentioned that I had never before spoken with anyone in a U.S. Senate office, however, the dire state of our country compelled me--after 65 years--to speak up, and I outlined several specific concerns in detail. The staffer said he would "be sure to pass [my] concerns along to the senator" which he repeated even when I emphasized that I'd like to know how my concerns would be relayed. I pointedly, though respectfully, again asked what would be communicated, and in what manner but he continued asking--multiple times--what I wanted shared with the senator; despite the fact that I had just laid out my concerns in great detail.
It became clear to me that, he had not taken any notes about our conversation. Shockingly, even after I enumerated my concerns a second time, they were not taken down correctly. When I finally got him to tell me what he would be "passing along," he mentioned one vague concern about "communication," one correct response, one fabricated concern, and one false statement. At the conclusion of our call he refused to identify himself.
Could it be that this is what Toomey wishes? I am very concerned with this country's state of affairs right now, especially in view of President Trump's increasingly poor judgment, blame shifting, lying, and general incompetence--and the threat it poses to the security of our nation, and indeed, the stability of our democracy. If this is how Toomey's staff is instructed to convey his constituents' concerns, I fear we all have reason good reason to be alarmed!"
DAVID WENGER, Middle Paxton Township
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