Denise Conroy: Those elected represent everyone, not just who voted for them

To The Daily Sun,

In a recent letter, Rep. Glen Aldrich lamented the “bunch of known Democrats” who showed up to support the supplemental appropriation put forth by the Belknap County Commissioners. One could almost feel the disdain dripping from his words, as if those Democrats are somehow lesser people for asserting their constitutional right to free speech and expression. Imagine the gall of advocating for one’s community.

Here's a newsflash for Mr. Aldrich: those pesky Democrats for whom he seems to harbor so much contempt are called constituents. He and all the other duly elected members of the Belknap County Delegation represent those people too. I know MAGA and all the other radical right groups somehow believe they only represent folks who voted for them, but that’s not how representative government works.

Last time I checked, we still have a representative government as defined in our constitution. Although, folks like Mr. Aldrich and the like are chipping away at that promise everyday thanks to their cult leader, Donald Trump.

Mr. Aldrich and all the members of the Belknap County Delegation who voted against the supplemental appropriation should consider taking a basic course on civics. Thankfully, Harvard University offers one for free here: pll.harvard.edu/course/american-government-constitutional-foundations. The third topic on the syllabus is "Representative Government" which should be especially enlightening.

Denise Conroy

Alton