Have you heard of Kay Granger? Probably not. She is a Republican congresswoman from Texas who has been in office for nearly 30 years.
But that's not why I'm writing about her. I'm writing about her because not only has she not been in the office for six months, I haven't even seen her. She’s gone — hmm. And there was really nothing the House could or would do about that. That has to change.
What happens if I don't go to work? If your phone calls and emails go unanswered, you will be fired.
But in Congress, there is no boss who can fire someone. There is a House speaker who can call for a vote to expel members who have violated their oath of office or committed serious violations of parliamentary ethics, but that rarely happens. In 1983, Rep. Jerry Studds (D-Mass.) admitted to having sex with an underage member of Congress.made sexual advancesTo the other two children. he was condemned, and he turned my back to the room As voted. He was then re-elected repeatedly until 1997.
If exposure and scorn can't drive an obscene page out of the House, there is little that can. Recently, Rep. George Santos (R.N.Y.) was actually expelled, but it took a federal indictment to get Congress to act.
In that sense, simply having a poor attendance record won't get you fired. We know this because Granger was grounded for half the year for crying out loud. She did not run for re-election, perhaps because she would have to provide living proof to voters at some point.
Granger was recently discovered Lives in a $4000/month nursing home A hospital that specializes in treating dementia patients. Granted, no one would want that, but if Granger didn't have the ability, she shouldn't have held on to the job. As it stands, her constituents have not had representation in the House of Representatives for a very long time.
Just to be clear, the office itself is still functioning as far as voters are concerned. Anyone seeking casework help will receive the same service as always, no matter what level the firm maintains. What they don't get is a vote for anything.
Perhaps the chief of staff will step up and lead the workforce, or perhaps no one will and the office will become a hub for people who work by the clock all day long — even if they don't bother coming into the office. too. In both cases, the people of Texas' 12th Congressional District had no say in the committee or on the floor.
You may wonder why people just disappear, doing no work and suffering no harm. Because outside of Election Day, the only mechanism that holds members to some standard is…other members.
Members often support kicking others out for sex scandals or health problems because they themselves have had sex scandals or health problems, or expect they will in the future. Be passive. Mutual self-preservation provides good job security.
Sure, they punished Santos, but he was a clown who got more attention than his job anyway. They will choose easy fruits if they can claim to be farmers.
When it comes to corruption, Congress has no problem policing itself. When it comes to health, it's scary. Former Republican Illinois State Sen. Mark Kirk suffered a stroke in January 2012. I was unable to resume my duties for over a year.. Former Democratic Senator Tim Johnson He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage during a radio interview. Both should have been removed from office, as was Congressman Granger.
Help them keep their paychecks, insurance, etc. (technically they work 24 hours a day, so an argument could be made that they were at work), but their constituents We need a say in government work. Unless there is some mechanism to remove members who are unable to do their jobs, the public service mentality is reversed in cases of incapacity.
That may not sound fair, but this is not fair to those who have entrusted their voices to those who cannot be present and speak.
derek hunter isDerek Hunter Podcast HostHe was also a former staffer for the late Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.).
