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@mapleman8499

Жыл бұрын

Do you think you’ll call every U.S governor for a video?

@spencercox9317

Жыл бұрын

Mine hasn't responded via phone, however I have gotten to meet my representative on multiple occasions by heading into her campaign office when she was in the state and not Washington

@jck956

Жыл бұрын

My representative (Fred Keller) is pretty good at responding, and I’ve found his office/staffers pretty helpful

@kbkilla360

Жыл бұрын

If I were still an intern, I would have responded. I left not too long ago. I would have talked to you about anything.

@ProgressOnly

Жыл бұрын

I'm in Dan Kildee's district, in fact I just saw him today campaigning and shook his hand, even though I don't donate. I didn't see his name pop up anywhere. You should run for office and I know you've been told that before. I'm currently in a public policy course with Saginaw Valley State University that is VERY much trying to change people's minds about "lobbyists don't bribe" stereotype. But every time I questioned them I got a 'well you just don't understand' or 'we go where the votes are to ensure our interests are met' (which is EXACTLY the point). So thank you for doing this

We need more BORING politicians!! Politics needs to be more about helping people and less about putting on a show. Thanks for the great video Mr. Beat

@XarmenKarshov

Жыл бұрын

When I was in one of my first semesters of college I got to talk to a reporter who was able to report during one of the meetings of one of the houses, I forget which. But he went on about how these two officials were arguing back and forth, yelling at each other, storming out of the room. He followed them out and found them laughing about it outside the room like nothing happened.

@fiyum333

Жыл бұрын

@@XarmenKarshov it's almost like it's all planned

@jongyon7192p

Жыл бұрын

That's right! Politics isn't a goddamn sports game! it's been turning weird in the last few years

@anibalhyrulesantihero7021

Жыл бұрын

If that were the case, why do the more "boring" politicians do a better job at hiding their corruption?

@jongyon7192p

Жыл бұрын

@@anibalhyrulesantihero7021 do they?

Next challenge: call all 2,980 members of China’s National People's Congress

@thebutterfluffman6855

Жыл бұрын

Yes let's actually do it Edit: didn't a mem of the people's Congress get escorted out of the house during some really formal ceremony that's never usually have interruptions like it did, it was scary to watch

@fdfischer

Жыл бұрын

​@@thebutterfluffman6855 that was Xi Jinpings predecessor as President of China, Hu Jintao (I probably butchered their names)

@MrSkiloV

Жыл бұрын

One does not call the Politburo…..the politburo calls you…..also guy if you’re reading this you did not butcher the names at all

@tktru

Жыл бұрын

@@thebutterfluffman6855 yeah it was literally the former president

@thebutterfluffman6855

Жыл бұрын

@@fdfischer why was he escorted out never followed up on that just saw headline and some text a couple weeks ago

I’m currently the intern for Congressman Bill Foster in the House - I remember speaking with you! Unfortunately, we don’t really take into consideration non-constituent calls just because we get SO MANY calls & letters with constituent concerns - and we as interns have to respond to all of them. Literally every single one. (The letters you received back aren’t actually written by the representatives, but their staffers). But regardless thanks for your call! I was trying to keep calm, I’m a fan 😂

@flanagamer

Жыл бұрын

Wait, but how do you know what the Representative would say? Why even bother electing them if they won’t answer letters personally?

@becca9759

Жыл бұрын

@@flanagamer as a staffer you work with the representative to draft responses for issues and then send them out and alter them for each individual case. In a perfect world the representative would sit and reply to every constituent personally, but between constant travels between the district and dc, filing legislation, attending events, voting in session, media appearances, etc it’s not possible. But that’s why staff exist, they’re just an extension of the rep lol

@MotorcycleWrites

Жыл бұрын

@@flanagamer Representatives work for 750,000 people on average. Would be kinda ridiculous for them to be on call for each and every one. Whether we should have more representatives so that they can actually be responsive to individual concerns is another matter.

@nicksurfs1

Жыл бұрын

Is the congressman aware of the issues his constituents call / write about? The number who call, their arguments for/ against, etc.? It seems like your job is to insulate him from his constituents. But I may be reading this wrong

@johnr797

Жыл бұрын

​@@nicksurfs1 I think it's more that the system of representatives was instituted when there was a MUCH smaller population in the US. When a representative could literally take a few days in a horse-drawn carriage and talk to just about every voter who had something to say. Not like that anymore.

Thanks for your dedication to providing education and awareness Matt despite the incredibly tedious process - it's admirable

@quixote5844

Жыл бұрын

No it’s not admirable, it’s mis-education. Would you really want your REPRESENTATIVE to REPRESENT someone outside of your district? If you want to effectively advocate for an issue, get your friends outside of your district to advocate to their REPRESENTATIVE. 10 calls to one REP can only result in one vote for your issue. Ten calls to ten REPS can result in ten votes for your issue.

@Wikkid124

Жыл бұрын

​@@quixote5844 uhh what?? Are you kid?

@quixote5844

Жыл бұрын

@@Wikkid124 Am I kid? Are you kid(ing)? No I’m not. Mr Beat touts himself as an expert in governance. Or is he just trying to be provocative? Calling Reps that don’t represent him is futile. They don’t care what he thinks, they only care what his constituents think, as they should. Would you like your rep to listen to me? Of course not. We live in a REPRESENTATIVE democracy. That’s why it is called the House of REPRESENTATIVES.

@Wikkid124

Жыл бұрын

@@quixote5844 dont try to say beat is a bad person, he asks them questions that every us repersentive should know, he also asks them questions from people from the state.

@quixote5844

Жыл бұрын

@@Wikkid124 I didn’t say he was a bad person, just that he was misleading people like you who don’t know how our government works. Sorry for failing to educate you. Go ahead and waste your time calling people who won’t listen to you. Many Reps got tired of your pleas and say right on their website that they only accept comments from their constituents.

I only called my representative once. I had tried to get into the Air Force but was denied for medical reasons. My representative petitioned the Surgeon General of the Air Force to personally review my case. It was nice having my representative actually work for me above and beyond simply casting votes.

@njpme

Жыл бұрын

Did you get in?

@boolean64

Жыл бұрын

Did you get it????

@11679MRT

Жыл бұрын

Sorry for the late reply - ultimately, no, I didn't get in. September 11th happened shortly after and who knows what would have happened if I had enlisted - maybe it was a blessing in disguise ? If anyone cares the representative was the late Jim Oberstar

@whakjob

Жыл бұрын

are you serious? this really happened ?

@whakjob

Жыл бұрын

oh just saw your reply,

Such a great example of the participation in democracy we need! And I celebrate your work to make Election Day a federal holiday.

@acediadekay3793

Жыл бұрын

I'm not even an American, but WOW amazing seeing you here

@gladigatorrawr1480

Жыл бұрын

Can you please talk with LaTurner and tell him not to ignore his constituents

@kiwilerner

Жыл бұрын

New Yorker here, not NJer, but I am so proud and grateful to have someone as compassionate, enthusiastic, responsive and intelligent as you in Congress. (And funny, but that's admittedly less of a necessity.... just a great extra feature!) A shining light IMO. You, sir, rock. Best wishes to you.

@jakedavis5375

Жыл бұрын

yooooo the surprise Cory Booker in the comments! That's so cool!

@MrBrewman95

Жыл бұрын

Hey Mr. Crooker! Why did you vote against making prescription drugs cheaper by importing them? We all know the answer to that.

This reminded me of story my dad told me, one of his super conservative coworkers once told him to vote for Dennis Kucinich, my dad was shocked. He asked his co-worker why, his coworker said, "Well he's my current rep, I called his office once for help with my pension and he personally answered the phone and solved my issue in one call. He'll have my vote forever I don't care about the policy." Good constituent service is a MUST!

@carter2671

Жыл бұрын

Understandable

@jaswin5994

Жыл бұрын

I remember him from living in Ohio, shame he didn't get in for prez

@Demonslayer20111

Жыл бұрын

Well that's the kind of thing an elected official should do, so I completely understand that

@nicksurfs1

Жыл бұрын

That’s how it was with Claire McCaskill and Missouri for a while. We would call her and her office should put us on with the legislative advisor for the issue we were calling about. The LA actually cared and could tell you Claire’s policy. I even had little debates with them sometimes. It made a no feel great because it was at least well considered. Missouri really loved her until she started going so hard for Hillary.

@joelglanton6531

Жыл бұрын

I caucused for him when he ran for president! I'm a conservative too; I actually switched from independent to Democrat in order to caucus for him. He's the only politician I've ever supported in my 20 years of being able to vote.

I once called my representative in tears after a school shooting in my state. I was so desperate and sad and I left a super plain voicemail with just my first name and I practically begged him to do something about it. A few weeks later I got a letter to my house from him saying he was actively introducing bills and trying to work with other representatives to do something and he appreciated me calling him. I have no idea how he found my home address but I've been a huge supporter ever since.

@TheLordOfNothing

3 ай бұрын

Which district was it?

I was the intern who answered the call for Hakeem Jeffries office! It was great talking to you. I also recognized you. That legitimately made my week. I had seen your Senate video and was praying I’d be the one to answer your call when you called our office. But yes members usually only are responsive to the concerns of their constituents as they don’t have the bandwidth or staff to focus on the country as a whole. Also with most offices you should request a response because many will just put your opinion down and don’t automatically respond. And you probably already know this, but the phones ring all day so the members definitely do not have time to answer most calls. Also interns are no longer unpaid. They give each office a stipend to pay interns with now.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

Awesome! Well it was wonderful to speak with you. Thanks for sharing that information. We all benefit from hearing it.

@krzlcve

Жыл бұрын

thank god interns are getting paid!

@WitBeondMeasure

Жыл бұрын

I interned for Hakeem a while & used to know him back when he was a much more local politician. Great dude, unfortunately district interns when I was working were unpaid but it was still loads of fun. Hope your internship is going well!!!

@Chris-dm9eu

Жыл бұрын

Is Hakeem Hank Johnson’s love child?

@jeffhermida4788

Жыл бұрын

Interns know just as much or more as their representatives or senators. they are great resources!

Honestly, I can understand Representatives outside of Kansas not sending you a response. The House is most connected to the people, but specifically to the people of their district. No Kansas Reps responding is absolutely inexcusable though.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

I am most disgusted that my own Congressman, 3 and a half months later, has yet to respond.

@emperorfrozenbillrulerofan8767

Жыл бұрын

Meh, Kansas is a red state. What did you expect?

@Cybernaut551

Жыл бұрын

@@emperorfrozenbillrulerofan8767 Kansas has bad management but it can do better when we vote better. "We are not red states nor blue states. We're the United States." - Robin Williams, Man of the Year 2003

@bolt7047

Жыл бұрын

@@emperorfrozenbillrulerofan8767 not having meth heads pooping all over the street.

@timelordomega5914

Жыл бұрын

Fellow Kansan here, I'm not surprised our reps didn't respond as they seem to mostly play towards the parties they represent and try to distance themselves from Brownback as much as possible (which I don't blame them for the latter for tbh)

You know, the fact that each office is getting tens of thousands of calls and emails each month really drives home the fact that there are not enough representatives. It's really hard to represent a block of voters when there are so many of them that you can not take a phone call to listen to their concerns.

@Anne--Marie

Жыл бұрын

They aren't very representative, are they?

@shahriyarhakhamanashiya4626

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, the US are very populated, more representatives are needed.

@razrv3lc

Жыл бұрын

If we did that, then urban areas would actually get appropriate representation and rural areas would stop controlling all of us with an iron fist. Low population states have a massively disproportionate amount of sway compared to high population states. The electoral college is an example of them getting far too much say for so few people.

@yoursleepparalysisdemon1828

Жыл бұрын

you can’t hear to every one, can you?

@anonymousperson3023

Жыл бұрын

​@MagicPants Except the electoral college is okay because while a Wyoming persons vote has more weight, their vote is relatively unimportant seeing as how they control 3, fucking 3 electoral votes only. Yall always point out how they have more weight in their vote without looking at the whole pocture

7:30 As someone who has worked in a Representatives’ office (Andy Kim), it is IMPERATIVE that we do not make assumptions of the congressman/woman’s views. This is likely the most important thing they teach you aside from being non-aggressive on calls. Edit: I made that letter at 14:14 haha

@a.b3203

Жыл бұрын

Is it a congressman or woman? Can't switch sides

@charliewiltshire7517

Жыл бұрын

@@a.b3203 for all people that work in congress in general

@wabbajeck

Жыл бұрын

We always had a document that was broken up into sections based on issue and had the senator's stance/quotes on it. And yeah, first thing the CoS stated was "we work in a customer service industry".

@shahriyarhakhamanashiya4626

Жыл бұрын

@@a.b3203 ... Really?

@shahriyarhakhamanashiya4626

Жыл бұрын

@@wabbajeck How very so american... I think that's an awfull thing to say. True you are serving people but you shouldn't see them as customers (also reply to those who don't vote for you yet) and it adds a lobbyist ideal that is clearly superfluous...

You should try calling them all again next year when it's not an election year and see how different the response rate is. That will give you an idea of how much time they spend campaigning for re-election as opposed to listening to their constituents. (my guess is probably too much)

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

Yeah but that's a lot of work lol I hear you, though.

@Jedi_Vigilante

Жыл бұрын

I'm not sure the response rate would be better though. When it is an election year they probably make more of a point of at least making sure the phones get answered so any constituent that calls at least FEELS heard. When it isn't an election year...who knows. The interns may be free, but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of Representatives are saving some money in the "off season" by cutting back on paid positions in their offices. It is worth noting that if a Representative doesn't use their entire budget for personnel (which is around $1.4 million/year) they can utilize the rest for other purposes...so if they pay their staff less, they keep more for themselves. Keep in mind, this is money appropriated from the taxpayers for the express purpose of paying Congressional staffers, not the Congressperson's person funds... Also, both the House and the Senate are constantly taking recesses during which most of their members go home to schmooze their local power bases and donors. I'm not sure how these lapses in proximity to their offices affects the general attendance and performance in said offices, but that would be an interesting experiment as well.

@Milkman4279

Жыл бұрын

In a non-election year, the response rate should be even worse.

@_somerandomguyontheinternet_

Жыл бұрын

@@iammrbeat is there a way you can upload a compilation of the representatives whose offices responded? I’d like to see what your experiences were with a couple of my local representatives!

@havable

Жыл бұрын

The response rate would likely be lower in an off-year because rep's don't have to pretend to care about constituents unless its an election year.

Can't wait for the next one, where you call every U.S. citizen!

@peescoop

Жыл бұрын

only 300,000,000 something 😈

@FireFoxie1345

Жыл бұрын

Times 1000

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

I'll start with calling my mom...

@Alfonso162008

Жыл бұрын

@@iammrbeat - "Hi, mom, I'm Matt. Just wanted to say I love you" - "Alright, sir, uhhh... I'll make sure to pass your message along. Have a nice day"

@pizzaguy3070

Жыл бұрын

@@peescoop few more zeros there pal.

I've worked for a Congressman's office. I was answering phone calls, logging comments, reading mail, etc. Thank you for being kind and polite on the phones. It goes a long way for those interns that may have answered the phone.

I remember emailing my local congressman years ago and figured the automated email would be it; but actually got a phone call from a staffer about a month later and even got invited to a BBQ party that was being hosted at the reps house the following weekend (I didn’t go and still somewhat regret it).

Hi Matt, I worked as an intern in the House for a long time, answering phones the majority of the time. I still work in DC, however, in a different capacity. I’d really like to thank you for the video. It is a frustrating process, and I understand how difficult it can be to get into contact with your representative. I personally tried my best to get the messages transferred as quickly as possible, but I would still get calls from frustrated constituents that their opinions have been left unanswered. It also depends on when you call, if the House is in session or not, other factors as well. Do not lose hope, things are modernizing the the offices to make getting responses easier and quicker, albiet slowly. Again, thanks for the video, I think it highlights a very important part of political involvement. Keep doing what you’re doing. Sincerely, A Former Intern

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing that!

@chea7z913

Жыл бұрын

As someone who's involved in this process working in DC, what are your thoughts on Matt's closing remarks "lately it seems like they (our representatives) don't represent us at all"

@rosameryrojas-delcerro1059

Жыл бұрын

They only represent thier campaign donors.....

Hey Matt, I worked as an intern in the house this summer, and thanks for this video! It’s a tough job but when you called it made our offices day, if you have any questions about the job/day in congress I’d love to help!

@fdfischer

Жыл бұрын

What's it like being a intern?

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

Woah! You knew I called! My mind is blown.

@Eliqueme

Жыл бұрын

What came to that you were able to be an intern? How did you become one, And what training/ background did it take?

@musicman76enator

Жыл бұрын

Did Congress declare Martial Law and are we going back into Covid Lockdown?

@christiandauz3742

Жыл бұрын

Why Biden didn't use Jan 6th to execute every Republikkkan for treason back on Jan 7th 2021?

This was great to see and thanks for your dedication on that! We contacted our state representative (Missouri) a while back who we disagree with politically. We ended up talking to their Chief of Staff for over an hour about a wide range of issues and we felt that any concerns we had would be considered or they had a thoughtful reason to not consider it based on constituent response. One of our concerns were the lack of services in our area to take care of people. The Chief of Staff said to give out their number to anyone in need and they would personally connect them with an organization. It was an interaction we weren't expecting! We did not get anywhere near the same response from our other representatives though.

The 6% response rate from Senators’ offices is actually very impressive when you take into account the average number of constituents represented by each senator. That said, their staffers/interns have one of the most thankless jobs in government.

@frozenrats

6 ай бұрын

Agreed. Unpaid work should be illegal. The staffers do a lot. More than the representatives usually.

@user-ls8ks7kv8c

6 ай бұрын

No, it's not impressive. In Britain most members of Parliament go back to their constituents once a week and basically hold office hours where anyone can personally come in and speak to their MP face-to-face about basically any issue. The country with a literal King and unelected House of Lords is ironically way more responsive to their constituents than the so-called Republic that is the USA. But unfortunately Americans just accept their situation because they generally have almost no global or historical perspective so they think that getting a 6% response rate in a representative republic is actually impressive.

@joelskelley2625

5 ай бұрын

MPs have an average constituency size of 200,000. Compare this to a representative’s average constituency size of over 700,000. Also consider that the country is much smaller. You can travel from Westminster to anywhere in the country by train in a single day. MPs in the Home Counties can commute to London by train. The entire UK is about the size of the state of Oregon. Compare this to a country where Reps have to travel by plane to places like California and even Alaska and Hawaii. You are correct that MPs are on the whole more responsive than US Reps, but it’s not a function of effort. Further, MPs are the only level of representation for most people other than local councillors. There are the devolved assemblies, but they don’t have federalism. The average American has a representative and 2 senators at the federal level, plus a state rep and senator, for a total of 5. The average resident of the UK has only 1 MP, and some have an additional 1 MS/MSP/MLA. Finally, constituency surgeries (town halls) aren’t as common as you suggest, and you also run the risk of having your MP become a minister or even Prime Minister, in which case you’ll never see them again. In fact, your MP doesn’t have to live in your constituency or anywhere near it. Tony Blair was from London and represented Sedgefield in the northeast. Sunak did use some of his billions to buy a house in his North Yorkshire constituency, but you’d be hard pressed to find him there. So, on the whole, your comment is a poor characterization of the differences.

@joelskelley2625

5 ай бұрын

To the original comment, senators also have massively larger staffs than representatives. As you say, the staffers are the ones doing the responding and the senators simply have way more of them.

I once wrote to my Congressman (Gerald Connolly, VA) via snail mail. I asked him if he could help speed up my adjudication on my clearance paperwork. I got a quick response via mail and he moved my paperwork to the top of the pile. I was super impressed. I voted for him when the time came and told all my friends to do the same.

@Lesboi

Жыл бұрын

Damn

@johnkerry6312

Жыл бұрын

Services for Kentuckians

@TehStormOG

Жыл бұрын

connally definitely falls into the "boring congressman trying to do the right thing" pile I think

@a_single_white_female

Жыл бұрын

Politicians should not be praised for doing personal favors in exchange for political gain but rather should be judged based on their policies and willingness to fight for them.

@TehStormOG

Жыл бұрын

@@a_single_white_female politicians should fight for their constituents, not just for policies

I live in Mark Takano’s district. I wrote to him regarding an issue. It took a while, but he called me personally to speak with me about it. I honestly wasn’t expecting it because of the reasons you mention here, but I was genuinely blown away by his willingness to take the time to speak with his constituents. He seems like a rare representative who actually represents.

@Chris-dm9eu

Жыл бұрын

He can’t answer the question, “what is a woman?”

@a.b3203

Жыл бұрын

He's a gender freak

@nikey2110

Жыл бұрын

@@Chris-dm9eu You're a linguistic prescriptivist. maybe educate yourself.

@Iwipemyasswithpalestianflag

Жыл бұрын

He's a libtard

@Chris-dm9eu

Жыл бұрын

@@nikey2110 so what is a woman?

I honestly wish that interacting with representatives throughout government was a lot easier. It's kind of no wonder that people tune out and don't engage with politics how they should. There really should be a system set up where we're able to sign in with our voter registration and interact on a social media like site. It'd certainly be much easier than traditional forms of communication like making a phone call or writing a letter, and it'd honestly just be nice to be able to interact with my representatives. It'd also be a place where potential candidates could interact with their would-be constituents during campaigns.

@Demonslayer20111

Жыл бұрын

Talk to state reps. Local officials. Federal has a lot power, sure, but your local politicians can get a lot done as well. And they are easier to get in contact with

@catpig7679

Жыл бұрын

Honestly not a bad idea. And, no, if anyone was thinking it, twitter does not count.

@user-ls8ks7kv8c

6 ай бұрын

In Britain, most Members of Parliament go back to their constituents once a week and basically hold office hours where anyone can meet with their MP face-to-face and let them know their issues. Obviously that's harder in the US because of the distances but something should be said about how the country with a King and House of Lords is ironically way more responsive to the average citizen than the republic USA

This is some of the most useful and informative content I have seen to accurately describe a fundamental issue with our system, while also showing a concrete example of what to do about it. Really appreciate you walking the walk on contacting everyone, its incredibly helpful, motivating, and inspiring to me personally.

Who to call next: - All 50 Governors - Every State Legislator in Kansas (or in the country!) - The President, Vice President, and members of the cabinet

@alonkatz4633

Жыл бұрын

Personally, I hope he goes for the president and co.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

- GHOSTBUSTERS!

@LeeeroyJenkins

Жыл бұрын

Definitely not getting a real response from the president or any cabinet member now or in the next 50 years at least. Even the press pool that follows them around 24/7 can't get 1 question per reporter. So yea, you gonna have to donate millions to even get 1 meeting.

@alonkatz4633

Жыл бұрын

@@LeeeroyJenkins You're unfortunately right, but it doesn't mean it shouldn't be done. The more calls they get, the more out of touch they will seem.

@qwertyasdf4081

Жыл бұрын

Governors would be interesting

I did this job for my state senator in California. In California there are more people per state senator than per representative, so it was quite a busy job. Anytime I took a call we had to look them up in the voter registration database to make sure they were a constituent, otherwise it would be unfair to the actual residents of the district. Many calls were bored boomers who would call often, others were coordinated by organizations. Only rarely did we get constituents with unique and passionate opinions.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

I laughed out loud at "bored boomers who would all often"

I really enjoy this video, for multiple reasons. One, you did the heavy lifting for a lot of people, and two, you showed me, and likely many others, how easy it was to just. call. I have incredible anxiety when it comes to politics as well as speaking on the phone, and this gives me confidence to actually call my own representatives. Granted, now I know how likely it will be to get anything done, but, you know. Thank you! Greetings from Kansas :) We share a representative.

You rule man. Seriously this takes a lot of dedication and time and for you to do this is amazing.

Mad respect for Rep. Takano. His district is D+23, so there is no way his seat will ever be threatened, but he still took his time to meet with a relatively small KZreadr from a completely different state. -It's things like these that give me hope for positive impact in Washington, D.C,- and I envy his constituents for having him. Edit: Just watched the video, never mind about the hope part...

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

Takano was such a chill dude. Ya know, he used to be a teacher.

@alonkatz4633

Жыл бұрын

@@iammrbeat I didn't. That explains a lot. I can't imagine how hard it is to take care of kids and being humble at the same time.

@BillyOfOrange

Жыл бұрын

To share a story about Mark Takano, in 2021 I was leading a canvassing operation to set appointments for Covid Vaccines in several of his cities. His office ended up reaching out to me, and the Congressman ended up coming out to our office to thank our canvassers for all the work they did. When he was with me he asked all the detailed questions that some may consider boring, but he got down and dirty with the specifics. Mark is a great Congressman and I’m glad he showed so much interest in the health and safety of his district.

@alonkatz4633

Жыл бұрын

@@BillyOfOrange I am not a religious man, but you are so blessed.

@wiiztec

Жыл бұрын

I think your logic is pretty backwards, the fact he's in a safe democrat district is probably why he can afford to take the time to address the concerns of a nonconstituent

Hey there, former hill staffer here. Every office is equipped with Q2, which allows a Rep to, literally, look up if you’re a constituent or not and if you’re not a constituent your odds of getting a response is slim to none because we’re so busy responding to actual constituents.

@naverilllang

Жыл бұрын

Can you explain that a bit more? How does it know? Because I'm military and it'd be a bummer to get flagged for calling from DC even though my home town is in Oregon

@alfalfa852

Жыл бұрын

@@naverilllang there’s different degrees depending on how anal an office wants to be. A lot of time they’ll ask for your zip code and if it’s not in their district they’ll just hear you out and disregard any requests for info. Sometimes they’ll take your name and it’ll search via voter registries & other information which is mostly public information and contain a lot of, like, “hey who currently lives in this house” If you live on base and put your address as that base your rep is probably intimately familiar with the notion that a lot of his constituents are temporary

@bensweiss

Жыл бұрын

Wanted to support you. As a former Hill Staffer I'd have to ask non-constituents, if you thought it was fair if your Representative was answering questions from voters that did not elect them. If it's a hot button issue the constituents voices must have priority. It's certainly nice to go an extra mile to answer non-constituent calls and mail, and I think if that is an expectation then the system needs more Representatives and more staff. If anyone disagrees, that is fine. I think it's a problem if constituent calls and mail go unanswered.

@sailorstarfairy1

Жыл бұрын

I double checked my location and sent an email to my rep to beg them to tell trump not to leave the world health organization during COVID, they didn't have the decency to even do a form letter. Just tried to get me to sign up to the reps website to donate money.

@kathy2trips

Жыл бұрын

@@bensweiss - Its probably not as big a deal as Senators. There are only 100 of them, so their vote has more impact, whether I'm from their state or not.

you are kinda my hero and you've given me a great idea for what to do with my spare time. I contact my local reps frequently. But I am now inspired to step up my game. I applaud you.

Mr Beat! Appreciate you so much in this life man!!! Thanks for all the inspiration and knowledge

Hi! I interned for two House reps and we're basically taught that if the person doesn't live in the district to basically ignore the message. If you do live in the district, it's marked in the database under an issue/bill and that's basically it. In my experience if the office is looking for examples or needs ideas of issues/bills to target then these calls are used. All calls are basically answered by an intern or staff assistant. Depending on the member the call volume can be huge and the calls can last a while depending if the call is case work based/extensive in general. I've heard some voicemails that were threatening and all those get forwarded to the Capitol police lol. But I will say that staffers work incredibly hard and genuinely care for constituents.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

Yeah I figured that. Thanks for sharing!

@VirtualVirtuoso101

Жыл бұрын

I was also told to not speak on behalf of the person, so you can’t dunk on interns who refuse to answer about the rep’s position on an issue… one slip up to the wrong person (such as a KZreadr with millions of views) and all of a sudden your (edit: soon to be former) boss is on the front page of the Fox News or CNN website for being a flip-flopper.

@hyperbolic3833

Жыл бұрын

If you've got all that in a spreadsheet couldn't you at least use something like mail merge in word to send out "personalised" responses thanking people for the call and explaining that their feedback will be used? You've already done the hard part.

@darthgundy7491

Жыл бұрын

I was an intern (while he was live streaming!) and this is spot on

@treeskers

Жыл бұрын

damn whats it like interning for pure evil

I was writing a paper about addiction and overdoses in the area I live so I got curious and called my Congressman (Kevin McCarthy), State Senator, State Assemblyman, County Supervisor, and Governor. Surprisingly the best response I got was from the Governor’s office which you would think is the hardest to reach.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

Fascinating...

@Imzadi

Жыл бұрын

Love Kevin McCarthy. Grew up in his district and had the honor of meeting him when he viewed my photography at an exhibit.

@carter2671

Жыл бұрын

Thats great!

This is a genuinuely important mission to me. If you're wanting to do a series of talking to state US State Senators, or other videos about voting education and political stuff; I would love (and I'm sure that others would to) to help and divide up the work. This is such a cool idea man. I fucking love this.

I have to give a shout out to former Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. He was the only Senator from the four states I've lived in that would always send a response to any inquiry I had.

I live in CA-10, and you sir are inspiring me to contact mine and see where they stand on issues and vote accordingly. Mad respect for you taking the time to do this.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

Do it! And thank you sir!

@wassupwo

Жыл бұрын

Yes! Awesome, that's probably why he did this

I have no doubt you would've gotten a great response from Antonio Delgado had he still been in the House. I emailed and called his office many times and I frequently got direct responses, and he also often hosted Facebook video conferences with constituents.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

Glad to hear it. He seems like a great guy.

Wow, I respect you as a youtuber. This is very well done content. This is what I feel like one would definately want to try some day, but never take the time to. To see you do it, satisfies that urge. Thank you much!!!

When I worked for a congressional candidate in the last cycle Rep. Takano showed up to stump for us. I was just blown away by his work ethic, commitment to his constituents, and just what a normal mensch of a guy he is. In between his stump speeches he would handwrite personal letters to his constituents and take the time to talk to lowly organizers about what he envisioned getting done in the next Congress, all this over the roar of a congressional campaign office. A great guy with a great staff!

You, sir, are an excellent citizen. The kind of citizen that The Founders hoped for.

@EdKolis

Жыл бұрын

Time for your daily dose of ketracel white!

Mr. Beat, here is a video series suggestion: Compare different cities around the world with the same name. For example, St. Petersburg in Russia and St. Petersburg in Florida.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

I love this idea!

@ugenesmith3443

Жыл бұрын

@@iammrbeat Thank you!

@Being_John

Жыл бұрын

@@iammrbeat I need a Georgia, Georgia, and South Georgia compared video

@dylanp629

Жыл бұрын

Naples, Italy and Naples, Florida is another very striking example

@ryleeroseborough7885

Жыл бұрын

@@iammrbeat Moscow Idaho vs Moscow Russia

Happy to say I intern at one of the 18 Congressional offices that got back to you! I was not the one to pick up your call but nonetheless, I know how hard these offices work. The caseworkers are the backbone of the district! It is very sad however, that you only received 18 personal responses.

I worked as a constituent services intern for a house member - and our policy was to let callers that had an out of district area code go to voicemail, and would call back/input opinions into the system later on

That’s awesome and frustrating. Great video! My family [across two states] wrote a few years ago to our representatives and senators regarding a family member’s legal status. [Background information: 15 years ago during the US Citizenship application for a family member the IRS came back saying they had no records of taxes for the individual, and the person’s personal copies they had were lost in a flood. So the application was sent into purgatory. Couldn’t even re-apply 10 years later. 25 years ago, our grandmother was banned from entering the US due to a clerical error. The immigration officer marked that the grandmother entered without a visa, but she did have a visa. So upon her planned departure date at the airport (that was within the terms of her visa), she was told she was no longer allowed in the US. We paid lawyers on two separate occasions to plead our case, even had to fly family to different states for hearings. After years and thousand of dollars spent, hundred of miles travel for the court date….the judge didn’t even hear the case and rejected it.] So we wrote to our representatives to help with the situation, or guide us. The family member was going through chemotherapy for stage 3/4 cancer, and the grandmother was getting up there in age and was developing cognitive issues. We just wanted to reunite them since they had not seen each other in 25 years. We never heard back from our representatives and senator(s).

@alonkatz4633

Жыл бұрын

I'm so sorry you had to go through this. It's honestly unbelievable. Is it okay to ask who this representative was?

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

Representatives can be VERY helpful for that kind of stuff. Thanks for sharing your story with us.

@RespectfullyCurious

Жыл бұрын

@@alonkatz4633 My Chicagoland family wrote to Dick Durban and Mike Quigley. I am not sure who my Nevada family wrote to.

@aliceballagh304

Жыл бұрын

How sad. All you ever hear is that we must be active participants in our democratic republic. That is very disillusioning.

@alonkatz4633

Жыл бұрын

@@RespectfullyCurious Thank you very . It infuriate me that some as high-profile as Durbin didn't budge.

I ended up contacting my Representative’s State office location, not the DC office, for them to look into a federal matter for me earlier this year. I spoke with the staffer, explained my issue, and was sent a case work form for their office to investigate the matter. I got a response about a month after, explaining their findings. I was glad that I actually got a response, and the answers they had was reasonable. When you need to contact your representative, contact the local office in your district as opposed to the DC office.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

Good advice!

@whenisdinner2137

Жыл бұрын

That's a really good point. You're most likely to find actual constituents calling from the local number rather than the DC number

@empahe

Жыл бұрын

i did this work!!!!! district office staff work so hard for their constituents

This is something that they don’t teach us in school. Just something they mentioned to me during my government class but actually seeing it in action is awesome. Thanks for teaching the world and fellow Americans

Great work and an excellent conclusion! I concur.

I can say that I have received three responses from Mitt Romney himself (not just an aide) all three times I've written to him. Thoughtful, genuine responses too.

@sangaperezgimenez6717

Жыл бұрын

that's so cool, are you from Utah? I've always wanted to talk to him but I'm not American

@xaixn.

Жыл бұрын

ritt momney

@user-ls8ks7kv8c

6 ай бұрын

Respect

@user-ls8ks7kv8c

6 ай бұрын

Respect

You should have told them you were a lobbyist for Hallmark Greeting Cards looking for a new holiday to cash in on. You'd have gotten way more responses.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

True lol

Great video, thanks Matt Beater

Mr. Beat went above and beyond the call of duty in the name of democracy.

@alonkatz4633

Жыл бұрын

I don't think it's above and beyond to expect your representative to actually respond to you.

@seanscott2677

Жыл бұрын

@@alonkatz4633 considering he only has one representative though, he did go above and beyond by calling them all

@alonkatz4633

Жыл бұрын

@@seanscott2677 In that sense, you're right. It's a huge shame that he basically doind other people's job, though...

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

All in the name of education :)

@christiandauz3742

Жыл бұрын

I wish a Time-traveler went back in time to Modernize/Industrialize/Secularize Bronze Age Egypt The US is a fucking mess

Ah yes, the US Legislative process is exactly like the “I’m Just a Bill” video. What an amazing response rate of 100%!

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

I used to believe that crap when I was in high school lol

@emperorfrozenbillrulerofan8767

Жыл бұрын

@@iammrbeat Huh? OK, now I REALLY need a thorough analysis of Schoolhouse Rock political songs.

@havable

Жыл бұрын

@@iammrbeat It used to be a lot closer to the truth. Everything changed under Newt Gingrich in 1994.

@skaldlouiscyphre2453

Жыл бұрын

I'm an Amendment to be, yes an Amendment to be, and I'm hoping that they'll ratify me. There's a lot of flag-burners who have got too much freedom, I want to make it legal for policemen to beat them because there's limits to our liberties at least I hope and pray that there are because those liberal freaks go too far. Why can't we just make a law against flag burning? Because that law would be unconstitutional. But if we change the Constitution- Then we could make all sorts of crazy laws. Now you're catching on. What if people say you're not good enough to be in the Constitution? Then I'll crush all opposition to me, And I'll make Ted Kennedy pay. If he fights back, I'll say that he's gay. Good news, amendment, they ratified ya. You're in the US Constitution. Door's open boys!

@AT-nw6cr

Жыл бұрын

@@havable how did newt Gingrich change that? Genuinely curious.

Love this video man! Thank you for this.

Mr. Beat, thank you again for putting it out there in terms that no one could in any possible way, not understand. As I said to you in a previous comment, this is the time for involvement not negative response. Use your vote for your voice. Get involved.

I live in Vermont and it doesn't surprise me that Peter Welch would reach back out to you, almost everyone here respects him even in a polarized country I've heard not one personal attack on Welch by anyone in the state. Thanks for making this video Mr. Beat!

@somezsaltz6835

Жыл бұрын

Vermont is a pretty cool state ngl

@mr_ekshun

Жыл бұрын

Ahh Vermont! I grew up there! I've tossed around the idea of moving back someday now that I'm married and have a kid, but my family had moved south when I was a teen about 15 years ago, so I feel like I don't actually know the place that well. We live in Utah right now and I feel like, from everything I've heard, VT would just fit us so much better. If only all our family weren't on the opposite side of the country!

Rep. Walorski's office was responsive and quite helpful to my mother and brother in March 2020 when he was stuck in Peru due to the travel situation. Although my mother otherwise disliked Walorski and never voted for her, it is nice to know that her office at least had people doing good work.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

I'm so glad to hear that!

@akariaTXreaper

Жыл бұрын

I use to live in her district as well, and regardless of people's opinion on her political stances, I've always heard she was one of if not the most responsive people in congress and actually talked to her people.

@haileylepird5801

Жыл бұрын

before she died my friend won a photography competition in our district and she got to meet her!

This is interesting. I’ve never phoned a representative but have sent many emails to both my member of parliament and member of the provincial legislature and never gotten anything but a form response. Very frustrating that the people who ostensibly work for us have no obligation to even respond

Hi! For what it’s worth, the staffers were likely asking for your address in the district not to vet whether you actually lived there, but to add you to their database/list for upcoming mailers from the rep. At least that’s how it used to work.

I’m not surprised about that personal letter from Peter Welch. He’s an incredible legislator and has been known to hold multiple town halls with constituents. He also doesn’t try to score partisan political points, while at the same time fighting for progressive causes.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

And it looks like now he'll soon be a Senator!

@abrahamlincoln937

Жыл бұрын

@@iammrbeat Indeed, because Patrick Leahy is retiring.

@noaht6338

Жыл бұрын

I've always liked Vermont politicians

@jabber1990

Жыл бұрын

and this is why i'm against the idea of term limits imagine if you get a good politician who's good and well liked and actually useful?

@JK-gu3tl

Жыл бұрын

@@noaht6338 no good ones since Coolidge.

He better have his channel explode in popularity for this kinda stuff. This is such a dedicated way to prove a point.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

I do it in the name of education and to promote civic engagement. VOTE! WRITE! CALL! CHANGE THE WORLD!

@iamhazelnuts

Жыл бұрын

@@iammrbeat I always felt intimidated at the idea of calling. Hearing how those calls actually go down helps, so thanks! I'm gonna call.

Absolutely eye-opening video 😮. Great content 👍

Dear Mr. Beat, I admire this effort so much and am saddened by the lack of response you received. Not surprising but a letdown nonetheless. One of the things that have brought me personal hope in the political system is turning to my local city government. I live in a suburb of Portland Oregon and to get to know the city I live in. It has been amazing. I watch every city council meeting and write to my officials every now and then. I get responses most of the time. I have used my modest experience with my local city leaders as a message of hope to friends who have lost such hope with elected officials. Showing that there is good stuff being done. You just have to look in different places. I would love to see you do a video on your State, County and City levels of government to show folks how localized politics may be different :) Much love

I love how Bryan Steil actually references your KZread channel in the last line of his response - whether it was due to the intern you called relaying this to him, or because of genuine interest himself, those sorts of personal touches on any level, I imagine, really help citizens to feel connected to the state bureaucracy!

Good job. Appreciate this documentation of the attempt.

I love this project you did and surprised you got the feedback and responses that you did. Nice work! and glad to see that you can get in touch with them if you try hard.

Mad respect to you for doing this!

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

As a constituent of AR-1 I’m pretty impressed that French Hill responded to you. He’s always been a man who’s more then willing to talk out his differences in opinions with the people

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

He seems like a great guy honestly

Omg I appreciate your work on this so much !

I am impressed with your perseverance in all your calls. I know how much work it is to call/email members of Congress. I agree with your results. I find the same results with my two Florida Senators and Representative.

These type of videos are immensely impressive! Thanks for all the dedication and putting in the work for the rest of us!

Another great one, Mr. Beat! Thanks for being a good example and putting in the grunt work to show us how to (attempt to) contact our representatives.

It would be interesting to do this with your state government potentially! I know it's not as fancy, but it would be neat to see the difference in response rates! When I was in high school, we got to meet both our district's state assembly member and our district's state senator at the state capitol! The senator pretty much just said hi to us and he hurried away. But our assembly member had a fairly long conversation with us and let us ask her questions! I asked her how she was protecting the environment and she told me about how she used public transportation when possible and drove an electric car. Big shout out to Penny Bernard Schaber from Wisconsin!

Love your channel I’m blown away by the history, the reality, and especially the honesty and attention to detail

i used to intern for a representative and like you said they are extremely busy with meetings and do not talk with constituents unless they come into the office physically. Staffers and interns are usually the ones who would write responses and letters to the constituents, but the issue is that there are limited number of staffers and their time is often used for legislative manners. Therefore many phone requests do get tossed out for efficiency sake. if you were a constituent and in needing of services, I would recommend you called their district offices where they handle most of the constituent paperwork.

I worked as an intern in the US House for a while back in 2008. It was a really cool experience! During the debate over the bailout, though, we had so many calls, emails, faxes, etc. that there was no way to get back to people. We basically just kept a tally of yes vs no and if they lived in the district then we would get their contact info. I do love how you called the responses from legislators “personal responses”. Hate to break it to ya, but I wrote many “personal responses” in my day. I even signed things for my boss when I was working as an aide in the state house. One time we were visiting someone’s home and I saw a note from my boss framed on the wall. It was a birthday greeting that I had written and signed on his behalf. Didn’t have the heart to break it to them that my boss didn’t even know that it was their birthday and definitely didn’t have time to write them a birthday message. So, basically, hate to say it but those thank you emails probably didn’t get a second glance from the congressman. Their Legislative Director probably proofread it after the intern who answered your call wrote it.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

Oh I already knew ;)

This was really interesting. Thank you for your hard work to put this video out. I am way more invested in my local city and county politics than state or federal for this reason...

Thank you so much mr beat

I did an internship in one of the german states parliament (Landtag) in the liberal party and answering peoples letters and questions was basically my main job. When talking to the regular staffers, they told me that for a smaller party like them, answering and staying in contact with people writing them is very important because every vote matters. They didn´t treat it like annoying work that "had to be done", and were really serious about the concerns of regular people, and i´m not just talking about the staff, but especially the parliament members themselves, who read every letter and take them seriously. Sometimes they make a call with someone, mostly people who represent some kind of a club and ofc interest groups. I think trying to get in contact with politicians gets much easier when it´s not on the federal level, at least in Germany.

@duderistdude6466

Жыл бұрын

Nah federal anything is hard cause their heads are so far up their asses its not funny. They just forget they're regular people like us and that's the main problem.

Great video, Mr. Beat! You deserve a lot of respect for taking the time to call all 435 members of the House of Representatives to make your voice heard!

@drugstoredilemmas7962

Жыл бұрын

What up Abe, big fan of your work. Gettysburg Address was 🔥

@abrahamlincoln937

Жыл бұрын

@@drugstoredilemmas7962 Thank you!

@vtxshadow

Жыл бұрын

@@abrahamlincoln937 I wish we had someone like you in politics right now. We really need someone to unite the nation.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

It took me more than 14 hours!

@abrahamlincoln937

Жыл бұрын

@@iammrbeat Those 14 hours were definitely worth it!

This is a fantastic video. Glad I watched it, thank you for sharing. This is one thing I've always understood and learned since I started taking civics courses in HS (literally 4 years ago lol) and that is the government as a system that is run by imperfect people will end up just growing and growing as a giant pile until the people essentially are phased out. And with that, the best possible life at this point (since other solutions are a bit rash) is to just turn off the news, find a nice area of land that's your own and let the junk pile fade into the abyss that is 99% of the world outside where you live.

Thank you for being an activist! America needs you

Mr beat you went above and beyond on this video calling each one and not giving up even if they didn't answer. Keep up the great work.

I was wondering if Mary Peltola of Alaska was in office when you made these calls so I'm glad you addressed that! Hope the congresscritters are more responsive in the future.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

Yeah that special election hadn't happened yet

I appreicate you taking the time to make this video. Nicely done!

I really like these videos Mr. Dietz

Often, the interns aren't asking for extra information (like addresses) to prove that you live in the district, they're probably just trying to narrow down the search when they try to log your bill comment. In a single representative's district, there are often many different constituents with the same name

Awesome work Mr. Beat.

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Legendary work.

Bro… Mr. Beat is jacked!

Currently watching your videos in school😅 helping me with my extra history knowledge, thank ya very much!!

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

That's amazing to hear

I have to agree that congresspeople should only focus on their own constituents.

@thefeltshow

Жыл бұрын

Well it looked like Mr. Beat's Congressman failed then.

I appreciate what you do here.

thank you for sharing. this will not go unnoticed

Wow the sheer fact you did that is amazing. Respect

@iammrbeat

Жыл бұрын

It definitely got old by the second day lol but thank you!

I don't blame them I mean the general apathy and anger people express these days is downright violent. We need to care about people more and it starts with you. You're doing awesome by trying to connect with those who are important deciders of our nation. A little goes a long way

I just saw this video today. I live in the 4th District in Kansas. I once emailed both our senators and Ron Estes. Senator Moran's office shot me a response that he'd contact me soon. Never did. Silence from the other two. Emailed Estes again this year. Nothing. Emailed him again. I guess the third time's the charm, because I finally got a generic email response from Estes's office. One of those ones where it *sounds* like they're responding to your particular concern, but you know they probably never even saw your email...

Mr. Beat is the 6th grade teacher I always wanted and never had. He makes me believe in the power of sanity.

I learned many years ago that as you go up the government ladder that it gets more and more difficult to actually get responses from folks, especially responses that aren’t generic forms just being reprinted and sent and either just filled with platitudes or nothing to do with why you contacted them. My city commissioner returned my call himself whenever I had a question about something a person at work mentioned was to be discussed at the city commission meeting. Likewise with other city officials who have been great at getting back to me whenever I have contacted them about something (99% of the time it’s a question about something; 1% of the time its a compliment or complaint about something; so maybe that’s why I get responses back?). My county commissioners and county officials likewise are good at getting back to me with answers. Either themselves directly or a member of their staff. At the state level, I’ve had mixed results. Some state senators and representatives have contacted me themselves and talked to me or invited me to their office or informed me of a townhall meeting they’d be doing in the area and could I come there so they could answer my questions in person. Others sent out generic responses or I only talked to a staffer (who was generally super friendly and helpful in their own way). Beyond the legislature, either a staff person or the official themselves have been good at responding back and answering my questions being as concise as they can. Some have even made suggestions and recommendations of where else to go or who else to talk to regarding my issue. At the federal level, my representative’s staff has usually conveyed the message and often it’s them who provide answers back, same with the senators, if there’s a response at all. Same with the President or Supreme Court justices (although to be fair judges/justices at other levels of government are the same and I think it’s predominantly because no one actually usually contacts them with questions/inquiries so I don’t actually mind the nonresponse). With other government officials at the federal level you’ll definitely get their staff and be directed to the correct agency. In most cases they’ll even connect you to an employee at the agency most apt for answering the question. I will admit that I’ve found that due to most people’s desire to be helpful, that asking questions about something rather than contacting to state a compliment or complaint is usually the best way to elucidate a response that directly answers what you contacted them about. Stating your position on an issue, complaining about something they’ve done, complimenting them on something they’ve done, etc aren’t things that generate responses. Maybe next time you call you should inquire about something. Granted at the federal level 99.99999% of the time the staffer or intern will just provide the answer, but sometimes the federal official themselves will respond with the answer. But at the state and local levels it’s a lot more likely it’ll be the official instead of the staffer/interns. I mean, it depends on the state of course. I’m from the state that’s your southern neighbor so between Kansas and Oklahoma it’s probably not that different, but folks living in states with a lot more people like California, Texas, Florida, and New York it might be different. I can’t say what it’s like there as I don’t live there and I’ve never asked family living in any other state about their experiences with their governments. It can also vary by city I’d imagine. I live in a city with 50,000 people in a county that has 60,000. I’d imagine that in cities and counties with higher populations that it could be different from my experience. I know my family and friends that live in places with much smaller populations have a different experience from me in that they don’t write emails or make calls, but just chat with their leaders while going about daily living and running into each other at the grocery store, the gas station, etc, etc, etc. I don’t think I have ever run into any of my leaders like that.