Williamsport, Pa. — The plan to inflate a large fat cat outside a Congressmen’s office was deflated by an equipment issue, but that didn’t stop local activists from rallying anyway.
Mr. Riggs, the 10-foot-tall cigar-smoking cat, was meant to highlight a system that’s rigged against working people by billionaires, corporations, and wealthy politicians, explained Jess Brittain of Action Together NEPA.
Mr. Riggs arrived at the rally courtesy of Dwayne Heisler, who serves as the statewide campaign director for the Pennsylvania Policy Center. Heisler, who previously spearheaded the Columbia County Indivisible group when he lived in Bloomsburg, now goes on the road across the state with the fat cat, who smokes a cigar, wears a top hat, and is sitting on a pile of money.
“He’s called Mr. Riggs because our tax system is rigged,” Heisler explained. “It is rigged to send billions of dollars to billionaires, and screw everyone else.”
It’s part of the “Pennsylvania Together” coalition campaign that includes Action Together. The groups believe Pennsylvanians should be thriving, not just surviving, according to Heisler.
“We have a suite of policies that would make that happen,” he said. “We’re talking about things like fully funding education and healthcare for everyone. Other countries do it, so it would be possible.”
Mr. Riggs, a fat cat inflatable, sits during another rally in Pennsylvania.
Heisler joined the protesters who have been gathering outside Meuser’s satellite office on Pine Street in Williamsport for “Fight Back Fridays” for the last two months. The rallies are in response to what the group says is a lack of transparency and accessibility to their local representative. Last month, the group discovered the building housing Meuser’s office was locked and his office space, which was visible from the sidewalk through large, plate glass windows, was nearly empty.
After a story about the empty office was posted online, the blinds were closed, making it impossible to see inside. Meuser’s voicemail has also been “full” for months, so it’s impossible to leave a message by phone, they noted.
The shuttered office is a waste of taxpayer money and also emblematic of Meuser’s unwillingness to meet and talk with his constituents, the protestors said.
"I've been here 30 minutes and I've officially spent more time here than Dan Meuser," Heisler pointed out as the protesters gathered on the sidewalk in front of Meuser's empty offices.
Meuser is currently serving his third term for the U.S. House representing Pennsylvania’s 9th District, which covers all of Bradford, Lebanon, Montour, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Sullivan, and Wyoming counties, as well as parts of Lycoming, Luzerne, and Berks counties.