One Democrat's views on Cap and Trade

Recently, my wife wrote to Congressman Jared Polis, (Democrat, Second Congressional District, Colorado) asking him to vote against the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, also called the Cap and Trade bill, currently under consideration by the in Congress. Cap and Trade is the energy bill that if passed, would, according to the Heritage Foundation, cost each American household "3,000 per year".

According to Newsmax, House Minority Leader John Boehner claims the legislation will send many jobs overseas and put "millions of Americans out of work".

Newsmax also quoted President Obama as saying that under Cap and Trade, "...electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket."

This sounds like a pretty serious piece of legislation. It sounds like there should be some pretty serious debate and discussion between legislators, and also between the Congress and the American public. After all, isn't that why we call our legislators in Washington "elected representatives"?

So when my wife wrote to Representative Jared Polis (Democrat, Second Congressional District, Colorado) we expected a detailed, reasoned response. Here's the congressman's email in it's entirety:

"Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition/support for H.R. XXX, the XXXX Act of 2009. I appreciate hearing from you on these important issues, and I apologize for any delay in my reply. Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue. Although we disagree on this issue, I hope my letter clarifies why I voted for this bill/ I hope my letter addresses your particular concerns.> If I can be of any further assistance on this or any other issue, please do not hesitate to contact me at (303) 484-9596. I also encourage you to visit my website,
www.polis.house.gov, and sign up to receive my e-newsletter."

Now I ask you, is it any wonder that Americans are so disillusioned and frustrated with our elected officials? The only conclusion I can reach, when reading drivel like this is that many of our politicians don't give a damn about our opinions. After reading a few replies like this one, how many citizens would simply throw up their hands and say,"forget this. it just isn't worth my time to write to these people."

...hmmm...could it be?...no...surely that couldn't be the reason.

Could it?