We deserve better than the shutdown By Thomas Schultz October 07, 2013
We deserve better than the government shutdown we are currently enjoying. Ted Cruz has every right not to support the Affordable Care Act but he and a minority group of Tea Partiers are way out of line when they shut down the government over a law they don’t like; a law by the way, that passed both houses of congress, was signed by the President, upheld by the Supreme Court and apparently approved by the voters who gave the president who pushed it through a second term. The only reason they are shutting down the government is that they don’t have the votes to play by the rules. Apparently they thought they could derail the Affordable Care Act, but early signups proceed, shutdown not-with-standing. However, the shut down has real consequences. The University of Alaska’s Institute for Social and Economic Research tells us the federal government is the single largest driver of Alaska’s economy. We say we are independent and we hate interference, but federal employment, federal contracting and federal infrastructure investment is critical for Alaska’s economic health. With the shut down an estimated 13,000 of Alaska’s 22,000 federal employees might be furloughed; 1,760 Alaska children will see their head start shut down; disability claims and other benefits for Alaska’s 74,000 veterans, plus new applications for benefits, will likely experience delays. The list goes on and probably explains why both of our senators had the good sense to vote against the Tea Party shutdown. It is too bad that Mead Treadwell and Joe Miller continue to try to raise campaign money by endorsing the craziest tea partiers. The tea partiers claim the democrats won’t negotiate. I am looking at a Washington Post article from October 4 that reminds me that the original Ryan (Tea Party) budget came in at $967,000,000.00 and the Senate continuing resolution is at $986,000,000.00. So, I guess the shutdown is over $13,000,000.00. Smart, huh? Faithful America.org is circulating a petition to end the shut down and reminds us that a lot of the shut-downers got elected calling themselves pro-life Christians but they continue to take food out of the mouths of hungry babies, force poor working parents to miss work because child care is shut down and delay benefits for veterans. One would think that they would be familiar with James 1:7, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress.” The folks who are circulating the petition remind us that, “There is nothing ‘pro-life’ or Christian about taking food away from pregnant women and babies.” I am pro-life and I just signed the petition. Will you join me? The web site is http://act.faithfulamerica.org/go/62?t=38akid=58.138543.ph9ljW. Sincerely, Tom Schulz
Received October 08, 2013 - Published October 07, 2013 Viewpoints - Opinion Letters:
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