Dear politicians,

This is not a breakup letter like my two earlier missives that you may or may not have read. I have moved on.

This is about the many questions that have been asked but rarely answered.

Nov. 3 is less than two months away. Early voting begins on Oct. 19. The reckoning looms closer every day.

I never watch network television and therefore have not been bludgeoned into a stupor by your campaign ads, so I do not know what kind of stench-filled spiraling is coming into living rooms across the state. Forgive me, I have fallen behind. Who are we hating on this fall?

I'd like to ask our U.S. congressional incumbents some questions, because the way I see it, they have done nothing to earn my vote.

We can read a candidate's platform, watch interviews, and also look at their social media comments and voting records. Too bad we can't have a face-to-face conversation with our existing representatives in order for them to know what is important to us. Y'all rarely come and ask what we think. I'm a retired nobody with a skinny bank account, so why would you talk to me?

Why indeed. You might have to answer some uncomfortable questions.

What have you pretended not to notice? (Pedophiles? Wars? Diesel fuel prices?)

Have you ever followed House Speaker Mike Johnson's example and claimed to know nothing about a subject that has been all over the news? (Bad idea.)

How often have you repeated the script given to you by your out-of-state donors? (We recognize the buzz words.)

How much money have you made on stock trading and other investments while in office? (This always smells suspicious.)

How many historic national treasures and parks have you actively protected? (Way too few.)

How many innocent children, who are now adults, have you ignored even when they stood in front of you ready to testify about the abuse they suffered as sex-trafficking victims? (All of them.)

How often have you looked the other way while unscrupulous people discredited those victims? (News flash: Most of us want justice for them.)

Have you scrubbed your websites and social media pages in order to make yourselves look less guilty? (That ship has already sailed.)

To our state representatives:

Do you love data centers, Flock cameras, private-school vouchers, and tax cuts for big corporations and wealthy folks? (Most of your constituents hate that stuff.)

How do you really feel about that prison project and all the taxpayer dollars that have been sucked into the black hole of corruption? (Just say it out loud. You'll feel better.)

Did you vote against funding for programs that help low-income people who are already struggling to cover gas, food, and health care? (Probably.)

How did you vote on the bills that have now been struck down by the courts, the ones that severely limited citizen-led direct democracy? (Ooops.)

What plans do you have to address the problems faced by patients, rural hospitals, and providers who stand to lose Medicaid funding? (Bueller? Bueller?)

What plans do you have to address the growing health insurance crisis in Arkansas? When the big companies like Blue Cross/Blue Shield and United Healthcare pull coverage from major hospitals, is that an opportunity for legislative intervention or is that out of your purview? What if it involves a large majority of state and public school employees and retirees? (Bueller? Anyone?)

It has been proven time and time again that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this case, it seems likely that for every action, or inaction, there could be an overwhelming, dramatic, and exponential reaction.

There are many more questions; too many to list here. We, the people, have had more than enough of this nonsense.

I have never witnessed so many citizens from vastly different walks of life expressing such a high level of disgust and anger over the current state of politics. We are all sick of a status quo that benefits only a few and throws the rest of us under the bus.

I would rather elect one of the raccoons that sneak up on my porch to steal dog food during the night. Those little kleptomaniacs usually take the shiny bowl as well as the food.

A surprisingly vocal number of voters have said they will cast their ballot for whoever is the opponent of an incumbent, regardless of party. In some big races there are two opponents. This could get quite interesting.

Normally I might recommend that you read the room, but it's way too late for that.

Regnat populus.

Shelley Smith of Fox is a retired teacher. A version of this column originally appeared in the Stone County Leader.