My mom called me last spring from a bar in Houston.

‘Steven,’ she said. ‘You’ll never guess who your dad and I are sitting near.’

It turns out Tom DeLay, my congressman, was, at that very moment, just seats away from my parents. And worse yet, according to what the bartender told my mom, he was a bad tipper, too.

I have lived in DeLay’s congressional district for more than half my life, and every time he is up for re-election, I become more and more baffled as to how he keeps winning his seat back.

‘What’s unknown here is whether the notion of whatever he thinks the American public wants is right,’ said Jeff Stonecash, a political science professor at Syracuse University.

So here was my chance to get some answers, my mother speaking with me on her cell phone, just feet away from DeLay.

‘Let me talk to him, mom,’ I pleaded. ‘Just for a minute.’

But my mother, knowing that I’d probably say something inappropriate to an elected official and thus disgrace my family name, refused to comply.

I’d like to think, especially now with DeLay’s indictment last week, that the conversation did take place:

Me: So why, Mr. DeLay, do you keep getting re-elected? Is it due to a lack of opposition?

DeLay: No, Steve. Talk to the Texas Democrats in our town who drive around with a float hitched to their truck of a papier mach Uncle Sam slapping my ass.

Me: Then it must be because people agree with your views on social issues, such as women’s rights and guns in schools, right?

DeLay: Doubtful. One of my reasons as to why the Columbine shootings occurred is because of the teaching of evolution in schools. And women? As I said before, ‘A woman can take care of the family. It takes a man to provide structure.’

I could have gone on, but I already knew the ultimate answer to my question: money. The $155,000 private corporations donated to his political action committee spurred DeLay’s indictment last week. This money was then used to fund DeLay’s campaign and those of other Texas Republicans, which is illegal according to state law.

It’s unfortunate that after years of using corporate money to keep his party in the majority in both the Texas legislature and Congress, it takes a felony charge to remove DeLay from office. Texan voters need to use this time to reflect on the type of person they are voting into office, especially if they are bad tippers.