Congressman Dave Reichert recently said, “Not much gets accomplished at town hall events,” so he wasn’t going to have any.

So I called his Issaquah office to ask if this were the case. I was assured by the person on the phone that the congressman has no interest in holding a town hall meeting to answer questions in person.

The gentleman invited me to participate in a “Facebook event, online.” I have found that the best way to get the crux of things is best done face to face, not online when it comes to important matters.

I have seen noisy town hall meetings around the country in the past few days on TV, and I believe that it takes a lot for a person to subject themselves to some of the behavior that I witnessed. People shouting, screaming and waving signs. Some of the congressmen or a spokesperson shouted back trying to drown out the noise.

Some of those congressmen listen to the shouters calmly and try to answer the questions. While I didn’t always agree with the shouter or the receiver of the shouts, I know that this is how democracy works.

Show up and stand up, Congressman Reichert.

If the heat is too much, get out of the House.

– Robert Widener