Don't I have the right to know who my Congressman met with this last week?

Today, I called my local and Washington, DC congressional office in follow-up to meet with my congressman, Tim Murphy (R), 18th District, Pennsylvania. Any attempts 2 weeks ago to arrange a meeting last week were not good, but I endevored to meet with him, starting with a polite FAX, then phone calls, all done courteously via the "scheduler". Apparently, I was too late to schedule last week with him when he was back in the District- Okay, so be it.

However, in follow up today, I wanted to know who HAD Congressman Murphy met with? Could they reveal that to me? After all, it's not like I was going to plan something in avance of this schedule, I simply wanted to know where he had spent that time. I figure I have the right to know. But, apparently, I had NO right to know, as evidenced by a very smug, condescending response from both the schedule and his chief of staff. I said, "well, are you saying that I have no right to know WHO Congressman Murphy met with this past week?" I was then put on hold for 5 minutes, then, handed over to the chief of staff, who from the start was condenscending and was NOT about answer this question, actually talking over what I was trying to re-phrased to her. In fact, the more I re-phrased it, the more condescending her response was. She finally informed me that I was intentionally verbally threatening her- ultimately you guessed it, hanging up on me. :wtf: Not what I'd call an acceptable response.

I am now quite, no- VERY curious to get an answer from my congressman's office, exactly WHO did he met with when in the District last week? I'm not a betting woman, but I wonder why? Most of all, I wonder why I"m not entitled to know. I've no other way of knowing who he sees and for what reason over what length of time. Meanwhile, it's my money and your money that shape these decisions. Anyone else wondering?

I am serious. Do I NOT have any right to know WHO he sees from day to day? Or certainly when in the District from week to week? Or, am I just being an impossible pain in the ass?

If it is, you can file for the information under the Freedom of Information Act... i hope you can... good luck..!!

:hi:

:hi:
THANKS.

not the Congress

To prove my point, try calling up your local state representative's office (that would be Democrat, Joe Markosek) and ask whom he met with on any given day he was in the District Office.

At this point, you're probably never going to be allowed the high honor of meeting personally with your Republican Congressman - they've probably already checked out your party affiliation/voter registration. If you really need help with something, go straight to Senator Casey's staff.

Jon Tester posts his daily schedule on his website. You can see everybody he meets with.

I believe one congresswoman has done the same, but that's it as far as I know.


Edit: I just looked. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) also posts her schedule.

Perhaps a little "shame on you" after following up with these other Reps websites are in order.

This is how Democracy works...
:headbang:

he/they were all supposed to be doing, which was work in/for their districts.

It's always unacceptable imo for the staff to be rude and condescending to their constituents. If it weren't for "us", they wouldn't be there.

If you're angry enough, perhaps a 'letter to the editor' should go out to any local/state newspapers that might print it, and a cc: to his office. Might make him get off his ass and start acting like a congressman.

but, I may end up going to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette with letter to the editor. I've done that before.

This guy votes 95% plus with Bush for the 3 years of his tenure, and I expect all his district time is not spent personally with constituents, if I had to guess.

I'll take all advice...

Refer to Senator Tester and the Dem Congresswoman who post their daily schedules. Since Murphy is a psychologist, I wonder if he still has a private practise, and if that's where he's spending some time. Although that would be hard to do, since private patients need regularly scheduled sessions, and Murphy is stuck in Washington a lot. By raising that question, it puts the burden on him to demonstrate that he is not moonlighting with private clients when he's supposed to be a full time congressman.

Tell them that you are going to obtain his tax records and that you are going to dig into the minutia of the congressman's life to the full legal extent of the law. She'll change her tone and lick your boot after you say this to her.

I'd much rather call the local talk radio host, which I've done already (Lynn Cullen, WPTT, the lone liberal here).

I'd follow-it up with letter to op ed. Then, I'd hope for a shit storm to happen, just like Rick Santorum.

This ditto- right wing Rep apologizes for the Bush White House. Here's the punch line. Tim Murphy was up for re-election this last Nov, first time against a fellow who had practically no funding (250K) compared to 1.5 million from Timmy. His opponent, Chad Kluko, was almost a dead heat.

Can you imagine? The Republican, in a gerry mandered district still almost got beat.

I can imagine it, believe me. What was I guess for... Murphy probably had early fund raising going on this last week.

I think I'm pumped up for the op ed. Wish me luck!

:-)

n/t

The great unwashed masses are not privy to such sensitive information. After all national security concerns prevented Big Dick from disclosing the names of his buddies in big oil who advised him on the new energy policy.
:evilfrown:

A congressional office has done an evaluation of them and most come up lacking. Something more to put in your P-G letter.

If I were a Congressman, I'm not sure I'd always want other Congresscritters to know who I'd been meeting with, how often and for how long. I suppose you could argue that it should be done this way, but I think that then people might be afraid to meet if it became public knowledge.