WASHINGTON  -  Since our representative government began more than 200 years ago, Americans who encounter a problem with any aspect of federal government have directed correspondence to their elected representative in an attempt to solve it.
“I’m writing my congressman!” is a rallying cry of Americans who are intent on expressing their views and inspiring some change.

As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, reading the mail is one of the most important parts of my day.  Answering it is a priority, and sometimes a challenge, that I take extremely seriously.  I know full well that writing your congressperson is a time-honored tradition, and it is alive and well today.

Members of Congress have mail delivered at least three times per day.  We pay bulk rate for our envelopes, which are marked with our signature, instead of buying individual stamps.  The House of Representatives and Senate even have their own zip codes.  Since the envelope anthrax attacks of 2001, all of the mail is screened, which takes some extra time to get the letters to Washington.  But the mail never stops coming to Capitol Hill, and it never will. 

My interaction with constituents is important because, though I am usually in Washington during the weeks when Congress is in session, I need to be in touch with the opinions of the Eighth District to best represent it.  The feedback I get in letters from constituents provides this input.  Sometimes there is a casework problem someone is bringing to my attention, but usually the letter is about a bill or a policy that Congress is working on at the time.  Not only does the letter remind me who I am working for, it also
provides me with a range of opinions about how the legislation in question affects people in Missouri.

I am proud that constituents of the Eighth District take this civic duty seriously.

Thanks to the spirit of involvement in our government we hold dear in Southern  Missouri, I get hundreds of letters each week.  Thanks to technological advances, I get hundreds of faxes and E-mails, too.  But I always respond with a letter, no matter how long it takes to get one out the door.  In fact, my staff often finds me with a stack of letters, signing thousands of them by hand every week – it’s one of my favorite things to do between late night votes.

I am always impressed by the range of issues, and the depth of understanding
Missourians have of them.

In the past month, I have received moving letters from wives whose husbands are serving our country in the Middle East, passionate letters from Americans concerned about our border security and our national security, and even the occasional angry letter from a constituent who disagrees with my support for the Federal Marriage Amendment.
But the writers of these letters are for the most part civil and courteous.  As Americans we understand that, whether we agree or disagree, we respect one another’s opinions.

Many of the letters sent to me are simply answered, but some merit special treatment.
Concerns about a federal agency are often forwarded to that agency for a response.
Sometimes, a single concern is enough to bring the head of a government agency to my office for an explanation.  In the case of urgent requests from military spouses, those letters prompted many of my phone calls to the Department of Defense or the Army.  But most often, I go home at night thinking about the content of the combined letters on a specific subject, trying to reduce the theories and opinions down to one of
two options when it comes time to vote: Yea or Nay.

So in many respects, letters make my job harder.  I welcome them all the same.  This job is not supposed to be easy.  There are no small concerns in a letter from Missouri, and a constituent request never falls on deaf ears.  After all, being a member of  Congress requires more than dedication to public service, it also means dedication to customer service.

The next time you hear someone say he is writing his member of Congress, you will know where that letter is going: right to my congressional inbox.  I will look forward to
getting it, and continuing the relationship (as well as the tradition) that we prize so much.