Rob Bishop, demeans, silences questioning student

Editor,

As a political science major, I was excited to attend a question and answer session given by Rob Bishop at Utah State. I assure you that there is no topic of partisan politics that has ever stirred me to offense or anger; yet I left Representative Bishop’s speech feeling thoroughly offended, and disheartened.

There was one young college student who asked him a very relevant question about land rights in the state of Utah. It was clear that this issue was a matter of great concern to the student. Bishop used all the power of his rhetoric to undermine the validity of the student’s question, and then tried to move on. The student spoke again, trying, in vain, to be heard. This is where I take great offense. In a moment of unrestrained frustration, Bishop waved his hand at the young man, and condescendingly shouted, "Shh!"

Representative Bishop, the man who represents our voice in Washington, has the arrogance to not only demean, but silence the voice of one of his constituents. Representatives should not tell us what to think.

They must listen to what we think, and then make decisions on how to represent those thoughts. That student’s opinion, whether Bishop agreed or not, should have been heard, and responded to with respect.

Silencing a person’s voice is not the action of a representative; it is the action of a dictator. I cannot vote for a representative that silences his people’s voices.