Legislators need to hear concerns

To the editor:

I am writing in regard to the recent article about legislators objecting to getting calls from constituents. According to the article, legislators complained to the Department of Social Services about receiving calls from people whose Medicaid health coverage was cut or eliminated. Their complaints resulted in a memo announcing a gag order. Caseworkers for the poor, elderly and disabled were instructed not to tell their clients they could contact their legislators to voice their concerns.

Isn't it the business of elected officials to listen to and represent the interests of the citizens of his or her district? Common sense would dictate that important decisions about people's lives should not be made without significant input from the people affected.

I urge our governor, other elected officials and the Department of Social Services to rethink this gag order. Who is more appropriate for legislators to hear from than those whose lives are changed by their decisions?

CYNTHIA KEELE JOHNSON, Jefferson City, Mo.