DEAR EDITOR:

The role of being a full-time senator or congressman began around 1970 [1]. Since COVID, many businesses have transitioned to remote operations and politicians have adopted proxy voting [2]. So, why must our politicians remain in Washington, D.C.?

There’s a solution to our divided and misguided government: Build a grand hotel with accommodations for all of Congress during the few weeks they need to be in D.C. The rest of the time, they could conduct their business remotely from their districts.

This approach would address multiple issues: lawmakers wouldn’t need to maintain two homes, lobbyists’ access would be significantly hindered and groupthink would be reduced. Lobbyists would have to travel to each district instead of casually meeting politicians in D.C.

Imagine if a politician proposed an impractical idea or raised concerns about horned frogs in Australia — her constituents would be right there to hold her accountable. Remote governance would allow politicians to focus on their districts, state caucuses and states, ultimately strengthening federalism. What a novel concept!

[1] Hey, Congress: Keep Your Day Jobs — NPR

[2] Proxy Voting Was a Game Changer in Congress. It’s Going Away — TIME

MICHAEL A. GRABAN

Hubbard