Well, howdy there, Internet people, it's Bell again. So today, we're going to talk about the case of the missing Congressperson.

Republican Representative Kay Granger of Texas hasn't cast a vote since July. She has reportedly been living at an assisted living facility that seems to specialize in memory care.

This wasn't disclosed to the public. This has sparked all kinds of debate, from the age of those

in elected office, to the hypocrisy of Republicans making claims about Biden when one of their

representatives was in a facility,

to the apparent fact that her district went without representation for an extended time,

to questions over whether there should have been a special election,

to how long she might have held office in that state before it was noticed, to a giant list of

things. But here's the thing. We're talking about an extended period in which people weren't widely

aware that a congressperson wasn't showing up for work. That's how little we as citizens keep track of the people

who are supposed to be representing us. Can you imagine not showing up to work for months and nobody

knowing? This tells us a lot about the level of civic engagement we as American citizens have. We always say

that many don't want to represent. They want to rule. Well, this kind of shows that we allow it

in some ways. The number of Americans who believe that their civic duty and responsibilities only include

voting once every two years or maybe even four is pretty high. Democracy is advanced citizenship,

and our apathy creates a government that isn't responsive. Right now, you have Republicans in the House and elsewhere foaming

at the mouth rabidly demanding to violate a union deal with federal workers, allowing remote work.

Republicans are threatening to terminate tens of thousands of federal employees who are operating under a union

deal that is in effect until 2029. Trump said, quote, if people don't come back to work,

come back into the office, they're going to be dismissed. Apparently, that intense desire

for workers to show up doesn't apply to our

betters. There's a mountain of hypocrisy that will be the subject of endless takes because of these

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