let's be human for a few days

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Government Official,

I know it's an election year and you would like to get back to your district and start campaigning soon; for yourself and for those you have chosen to endorse. Let me assure you, the citizens in your district are rather well aware that the election is approaching.

You see, I'm writing this letter to remind you that as the citizens who elected you, we did so with the expectation that you would take your job seriously and do what we elected you to do.

Therefore, I would like to politely ask you to stay in Washington right now. I say "politely ask" because it's the politically correct way of doing things. Now that that's out of the way, I can tell you what I really mean.

There is a crisis in our nation at the moment. I don't care about your political affiliations or what "side of the aisle" you park yourself on when you're at work. What I care about are my friends, family and neighbors. There has been dispute for as long as I can remember over whether the economy is up or down and whose fault it is. I can say with absolute certainty that while your constituents and those of your co-workers may argue with you and each other over the finer points of that, right now none of us care.

We don't care if Republicans caused the crisis. We don't care if Democrats caused the crisis. Perhaps it was a bi-partisan snowball effect. We don't care.

What we care about is whether or not you and your co-workers are going to do the job you were hired to do. Yes, it is your job. Yes, the people in your district got together and had a meeting and chose you for the job. It is a job, and you were hired to do it.

The nation is in a bind at the moment. This is what you were hired for. For your constituents to see and hear on the news that congress is "considering" working through the weekend is a slap in the face. You see, we didn't hire you to a M-F, 9-5 position. We hired you to work whenever necessary. Your services are needed now. Your week doesn't end on Friday. Your week ends when your term ends.

You see, we don't need you to come home and tell us to vote for you and/or Joe Blow in November. We need you to stay at work and do the job you were hired to do. You may think coming back to your district and campaigning for yourself or others will affect my vote. Guess what? You're right.

It will not affect my vote in the way you think, however. If you want my vote to spend another term in Washington, you need to win it by proving that you're willing to do the work. Your name doesn't have to be on the bill to win my vote. I don't have to hear your opinion on CNN to vote for you. You just have to show up for work until the job is done.

After all, why would I hire you for another term if you're not willing to do the job?