Legislators Need To Remember Their Job Descriptions
Or Save Taxpayers Their Salaries and Benefits and Go Home
As the U.S. Senate debates the so-called Big Beautiful Bill, an effort that appears more focused on transferring wealth upward to the wealthiest 3%, selling off public lands, and reminding the public just how little they value our interests, the civic-minded part of me wishes I had a national megaphone. I want to remind lawmakers and the electorate that our representatives are, by definition, supposed to serve the people who elected them: their constituents, districts, and states. Not corporations. Not donors. Not party leaders.
State legislators, in particular, must realize they are not an extension of the president, elected to “mirror” Trump’s national agenda in state politics, particularly if it goes against their constituents’ interests.
Of course, I realize how naïve that sounds. Believe me, I laughed at myself even as I thought it. I know I am preaching to the choir to those who will likely read this. It still needs to be written that many of our representatives know their role; they choose not to fulfill it. And yet, occasionally, I’m not so sure they even understand the job they were elected to do.
I am well aware of the reality of politics, especially in Georgia. Yet, it still dumbfounds me how blatantly some lawmakers demonstrate how little they care about the people they swear an oath to their almighty God to serve.
Let’s Revisit State Senator Max Burns For An Example
That thought returned to me after reading a recent quote from Georgia State Senator Max Burns. I've written about Burns before. Since his election in 2021 to represent Georgia’s 23rd Senate District, he has devoted much of his energy to legislation that seeks to criminalize librarians and teachers, while promoting a sanitized version of history more aligned with political convenience than historical accuracy.
In the most recent legislative session, the Georgia Library Association resisted one of Burns's proposals to criminalize librarians, successfully stalling it in the Senate. The bill ultimately failed in the House, but Burns has made it clear he intends to revisit this effort, alongside new attempts to ban DEI programs in Georgia schools.
What struck me wasn’t just the legislation, it was something he said in an interview with WABE, Atlanta’s NPR and PBS affiliate, in early May of 2025. The quote itself was not especially profound, but it stayed with me. Maybe it was the simplicity of the comment, or perhaps it was the underlying implication: that Burns may not fully understand the responsibilities of his office, or worse, that he does, and rejects them.
Burns has previously said the bill mirrors President Donald Trump’s efforts to eradicate DEI initiatives.
Is that so? Then perhaps Senator Burns would be willing to explain how this legislation benefits Georgia, more specifically, how it serves the needs of the 23rd District he was elected to represent. What, exactly, is the local impact? Because his role is to advocate for the interests of his constituents, not to advance the broader political agenda of Donald Trump, a national figure whose priorities are far removed from the everyday realities of southeast Georgia.
Georgia Senate District 23
The 23rd District is a reliably Republican area with a roughly 60/40 partisan split. It spans a large swath of rural southeastern Georgia near Augusta. That regional context matters. Legislating as if operating on a national stage may play well in certain political circles. Still, it misses the point of state-level governance, which is the sole reason he was elected.
GA Sen 23 At a Glance
Georgia Senate District 23 presents an interesting demographic profile compared to the rest of the state and the country. The population is 51 percent white, significantly higher than Georgia’s statewide average. Seventy-seven percent of residents are under 60, with the majority identifying as single or unmarried.1
More than 10 percent of the district’s population is veterans, a rate 1.4 times higher than the state average. Many veterans served in the Middle East, making policies around veteran care especially relevant.2
The economic data is even more telling. The district has a poverty rate of 15 percent, which is 10 percent higher than the rest of Georgia and approximately 25 percent higher than the national average. Only 15 percent of residents have a college degree, and the median annual salary hovers just over $59,000. This figure is roughly 25 percent below the national median and 20 percent below the Georgia state average. The per capita income is even lower, indicating broader structural economic challenges.3
Actual Representation
Given these numbers, it is worth asking why Senator Burns continues to focus on national political battles and performative culture war issues rather than addressing the material needs of the people he was elected to serve. If his concern truly lies with the well-being of his constituents, perhaps he should be questioning why national leaders like Donald Trump have proposed gutting the Department of Veterans Affairs, an agency that many in his district rely on, instead of attempting to criminalize librarians or sanitize school curricula.
At a minimum, he might consider championing legislation that brings economic investment into the region, expands educational access, and improves healthcare infrastructure. Even if some voters supported him for his stance against DEI or his antagonism toward libraries, leadership demands more than following outrage. It requires vision. The problems facing District 23 are not caused by inclusive education or librarians doing their jobs. They result from long-term underinvestment, poor policy priorities, and a political environment that thrives on distraction.
Let’s Pretend For a Moment
Imagine the possibilities if elected officials invested as much energy into raising household incomes, expanding access to affordable healthcare, or building economic stability as they do into scapegoating DEI initiatives, trans people, or the current president. Imagine what could be accomplished if all that performative energy were redirected into actually solving problems. Elected representatives, either at the state or federal level, are elected for one purpose and one purpose only. To represent their district or state in the legislative body that holds people’s lives in its hands.
In the end, representation is not complicated. It is about showing up for the people who put you in office. Elected officials are not sent to state capitols or Washington to chase headlines or score points in the latest culture war. They are there to understand the needs of their communities and do something about them. When lawmakers prioritize national talking points over local realities, they are derelict in their duty on the taxpayer’s dime.
No matter how red, blue, rural, or urban, every district deserves leadership that fights for its people. If officials cannot be bothered to do the job they were elected to do, then maybe it is time voters send someone who will.
Somewhere along the way, too many forgot they were elected to serve, not audition for cable news.
Data is compiled from the Census Reporter, which visualizes the 2023 American Community Survey data. There is a warning on the page to take some care with the data, and it reveals a margin of error of +/- 10 with some estimated data.
Citation: U.S. Census Bureau (2023). American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Retrieved from Census Reporter Profile page for State Senate District 23, GA <http://censusreporter.org/profiles/61000US13023-state-senate-district-23-ga/>
Ibid.
Ibid.