To the editor:
When Iowans hire someone for a job, they’re expected to show up to work. It was that way when I grew up on the farm and when I worked at the USDA. I instilled in my own children the ethic of showing up for work. It’s what Iowans do.
That’s why I find it so concerning that Cindy Axne isn’t showing up for work. This past May, for the first time in Congressional history, Nancy Pelosi had the House of Representatives vote on a rule change to allow members to vote by proxy — meaning they can have someone vote on their behalf.
Cindy Axne went along and supported this change, which passed on a party line vote — meaning no Republicans voted for it — and in essence voted to allow herself to skip work.
Axne has used this rule multiple times to not show up for work. She wasn’t there when the House debated and voted on the George Floyd policing reform bill — a topic of vast importance to many Americans.
She wasn’t there when they debated and voted on statehood for Washington D.C. — which would add two more senators to the U.S. Senate.
And she wasn’t there when they debated and voted on a post office reform bill — even though days before she publicly called for U.S. Postmaster Louis DeJoy to resign.
She also hasn’t been honest with who she allowed to vote for her. When it came down to casting our vote, it wasn’t Cindy Axne saying “yea” or “nay” but Jamie Raskin.
Who is Jamie Raskin? He is a far-left congressman from Maryland. I don’t know if he has ever been to Iowa.
The person Cindy Axne allows to vote for Iowa’s Third District opposes the Electoral College which gives Iowa a voice in presidential elections. Yet he supports the Green New Deal, Medicare for All and defunding the police. Those aren’t the values of this district.
To top it off, she never told her constituents she was taking advantage of the proxy vote to not show up, nor did she tell us why she skipped work. Every one of us would be expected to call in and let our employer know and the reason why we couldn’t make it to work. Cindy Axne owed it to her constituents — her employers — to be upfront with us about it, but she didn’t.
As a constituent of Cindy Axne, I expect my representatives to show up and do the basic duty of their job: to vote. Iowa has a good track record of producing people who do just that. David Young never missed a vote either in committee or on the House floor when he was in Congress.
The last time Sen. Chuck Grassley missed a vote was 1993, and that was only because he needed to be in Des Moines during the massive flooding. Iowans should expect better out of Cindy Axne and if she won’t do the job, we should send someone who will.
Thomas C. Dorr
West Des Moines
Axne and others know that few pay attention to such details, and they know they get paid regardless of attendance or performance. No integrity.
I agree with you, Rochelle. Let’s look at the details together. Mr. Dorr is sneaking in this GOP attack ad as an opinion from a concerned citizen. He is not merely a concerned citizen and humble USDA employee. Mr. Dorr was Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development and Chairman of the USDA Energy Council for the George W. Bush administration. Before throwing these imaginary stones at Rep. Axne, perhaps Mr. Dorr could address the troubling issues presented here concerning charges of fraud and racism:
https://votesmart.org/public-statement/25791/executive-session-thomas-c-dorr-to-be-under-secretary-of-agriculture-for-rural-development-part-two#.X3jmm9hh29U
Thank goodness for the statute of limitations and friends in high places. As a GOP operative, Mr. Dorr is a perfect fit. Nice try.
Secretary of Agriculture or not, has nothing to do with Cindy Axne skipping work.