But nobody is excited because the county is so gerrymandered that we are just the tip of the dog's tail, a part that rarely gets attention, even from the dog.

One of our two Congressmen, Democrat Rep. Jim Marshall, occasionally pretends to represent us and occasionally holds a town meeting or two.

We have never had the opportunity to meet him or have him in front of our editorial board because he and his staff know that any votes he gets from our county aren't going to elect or not elect him.

Fortunately, Marshall is a blue-dog Democrat who asserts some independence in his voting.

This past week we talked to a high-ranked state official who said that Marshall's opponent, Republican Austin Scott, might pull off an upset. Actually, we tried real hard not to laugh out loud at that: We have never heard from or about Scott nor do we know what his platform is.

It's not right to be taxed without representation, but we here in Newton County, one of the largest counties in the state, have had to endure that indignity for years.