Hello, senators and representatives, this is Iowa calling

Dr. Conna Bral
Iowa View contributor
U. S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.

Since the 2016 election, I have sought to become a more informed and active participant in our country’s political system.

I believe that all Iowans should continually seek information about, and give input on, the federal issues that affect our lives. Our means for doing this is through our elected officials in Washington.

Despite my good intentions of becoming part of the informed electorate, my efforts so far have been an exercise in futility. As documented in my phone records, between Feb. 1 and June 30, I called my Washington Congressional representatives (both senators and one representative) no fewer than 33 times. My calls have primarily been to ask for their positions on pending votes and issues.

Unfortunately, I continually get the same response on each call, regardless of which senator’s or representative’s office I call. I ask what their position or vote will be on a specific issue or bill and then I’m told, “The senator (or representative) has not made a decision on that yet.”

I have yet in 33 attempts been able to get an answer on how one of my elected officials will vote or the position they’ve taken publicly on an issue. I even called Rep. Rod Blum’s office multiple times the day of the health care vote and was told by staff that he was still “considering” the bill and didn’t have a position. Yet within hours of my call, he voted in favor of the bill.

I’ve made repeated calls to both senators on the Senate versions of this bill and have yet to get a position from either of them of any version of the Senate bills.

Dr. Conna Bral is a native Iowan. She has worked in both P-12 and higher education as a teacher, counselor, and administrator.

You don’t have to have a Ph.D. in political science to figure out staff have been instructed to just try to appease those constituents who call and don’t provide any real information. It hasn’t happened just once or twice but 33 times. I’m to the point where I can almost predict their response verbatim.

I’m asking all my fellow Iowans to encourage our elected officials in Washington to be accountable to their constituents. Iowans are hard-working people, and if someone takes time out of their busy schedule to call a Washington office to seek information, our elected officials should have the respect for us to actually provide the information we are requesting. “Watch our website” is not a sufficient response.

Take the time to call Senator Grassley, Senator Ernst and your representatives and keep them accountable to the needs of the Iowans who elected them. They should be a rich source of information to all Iowans rather than a source of frustration to those seeking answers.

If you are not sure who your representatives are, you can find out at whoismyrepresentative.com

DR. CONNA BRAL is a native Iowan. She has worked in both P-12 and higher education as a teacher, counselor, and administrator.