Citizens Sound Off at McCaskill Meeting

Given massive swings in the stock market, a national credit downgrade and political warfare in the Capitol, it isn’t surprising that many American citizens are on edge.

That could include Zuleyma Tang-Martinez, a professor of biology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Tang-Martinez was one of roughly two dozen people who attended an event held Tuesday at the as part of Sen. Claire McCaskill’s Kitchen Table Talks series. While McCaskill did not attend the meeting, and took comments.

Tang-Martinez expressed frustration about recent events.

“I must say I first became involved in politics back when I worked at Bobby Kennedy’s campaign in 1968. And since that time, I have remained involved,” Tang-Martinez said. “And this is the first time that I am so totally frustrated about what’s going on in Washington that I’m even asking myself whether there’s any point in voting anymore.”

Like several other attendees of the event, Tang-Martinez urged Moore to tell the Democratic senator to be more proactive on tax policy. Moore is deputy director for McCaskill's St. Louis office.

“We have allowed the Republicans to frame the debate so that the debate has become about the cost of government,” Tang-Martinez said. “I bet you everybody in this room would say ‘Yes, we have to do something about the debt.’ … One way is to bring more money into the government so we can pay for our expenses. That is one thing the Democrats have to educate the public about.”

Clayton resident John Kretschmer also expressed frustration about government inaction and the influence of lobbyists among congressional lawmakers.

“And where in the hell’s our government? Where is it? It’s gone. The lobbyists have taken over,” Kretschmer said. “The people who want to get re-elected have taken over because they take their money from the lobbyists.”

At least one audience member expressed a difference of opinion from others at the event. The woman, who would not give her full name, said reducing the deficit is a “very reasonable and necessary part of this country’s future.”

“Let’s not forget on what this country was built on,” the woman said. “And that is the opportunity. So for people who have come to this country and who have spent their life working and working hard and building up businesses and amassing wealth in whatever large or small amount that might be, when you want to tax those people, you come to the point where these people will not want to work anymore. Because they will just be giving it to the government.”

McCaskill’s staff also planned a similar meeting in Ellisville on Tuesday afternoon. McCaskill herself is on a statewide tour to tout the state’s manufacturing industries.