As expected, the stock market is down and the citizens of this country are financially poorer through no fault of their own. Members of Congress need to be reminded that they once took an oath of office — to the people, to God, and to their own souls.
Many others have made such pledges. Physicians, firefighters, nurses, policeman, soldiers. They have promised that even the middle of the night, if they hear the cries of the people they pledged to serve, they would willingly relinquish their own sleep, their safety and even their lives to attend to the needs of others.
Surely, Congress can hear the cries right now. Beneath the camouflage of angry rhetoric, the people of this country are in fear, agony and despair that our democracy has lost its courage.
They must gather together — as courageous families do at a time of loss — and take stock of our beneficent heritage and summon the courage to make ethical decisions for our future.
Kathleen Sweeney, Baltimore