Hey Senator, your phone is ringing

To the editor:

It is vitally important for us, the constituents of Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, to telephone the senators to express our opposition to President Trump’s cabinet nominees, Supreme Court nominees, executive orders, and other execrable actions. 

Both Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand have nine offices in various New York State locations. Today and yesterday and the day before, I have called each one of each of the senators nine numbers and have either gotten a busy signal, or message to call back, or a message saying that the voicemail box is full, or, only once, a message saying that I could leave my name and number. 

I have not reached a live human being. 

I think that with the spew of extraordinarily backward-facing, frightening and dangerous executive orders, pronouncements and a bevy of other unacceptable activities and behaviors emanating from the Oval Office and Trump’s New York City office, it is crucial that our senators install additional phone lines in their offices and, ideally, recruit volunteers to answer those phones and take messages from constituents. Our voices must be heard.

Miriam Helbok