When I read even the headline to Diane Anderson’s letter to the Sun, “Don’t capitulate to obstructionist Democrats” (Jan. 23), I had to laugh out loud. The Republicans invented obstructionism when Barack Obama was in office and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed to block Mr. Obama at all costs at every turn, even when many of President Obama’s plans were good for the long-term sustainability of our country. He even prevented the very moderate and very well-qualified Supreme Court candidate Merrick Garland from taking his seat.
Now, our Republican president and U.S. Senate are obstructing the ability of our country to function as it should, creating hardship not only for government employees but every single taxpayer and many small and large businesses across the country as our government is kept closed. Our very safety and security are impacted on every level from the loss of Food and Drug Administration regulators, to the loss of our agents who regulate clean air and water, to the loss of TSA employees.
Why does anyone think that closing the government is an acceptable solution to bringing an (elected by the will of the people) Congress “to heel” as opposed to compromising and working out long-term solutions to our problems. The last election proved that the country does not support the tactics of a dictatorial Donald Trump. It seems like the Republicans think that they are the only ones entitled to make decisions for our country, and that they support tactics that actually damage our country if it helps them get their way.
Sorry, but we are not yet a dictatorship, and, hopefully, our future elections will keep it that way. In the meantime, closing down the government as a tactic for either party to get it’s way should be against the law.
Annette Katz, Reisterstown