1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I am writing in response to the letter I received from the Governor's constituent services office instructing me to stop contacting Governor Kehoe. I find that letter deeply offensive, and I want to be direct: I have no intention of complying with it. Writing to my governor is not a privilege granted to me by his office. It is a fundamental right of every citizen in a representative democracy. The Governor of Missouri is an elected public official who serves at the pleasure of Missouri voters including me. Whether or not his office believes it has jurisdiction over a particular issue is irrelevant to my right to express my views, my concerns, and my expectations to the person I helped elect. It is never appropriate to instruct a constituent to stop writing. I am asking that your office cease sending letters discouraging constituents from contacting the Governor. Governors' offices exist, in part, to hear from the people they represent — even when that feedback is uncomfortable or outside the Governor's direct purview. Telling voters to be quiet is antithetical to that purpose and unworthy of this office. I will continue to write as I see fit.