Letters: End the shutdown. Now.

Re “Talks raise hope in budget impasse,” Oct. 11

The sweeping impact of the government shutdown continues to be felt within our communities, both locally and across the United States. The return of civilians this week to support the military did not include all affected civilians. Aerospace Corp., located in El Segundo directly south of Los Angeles International Airport, just announced a partial shutdown affecting almost 60% of its workforce, or about 2,000 employees, most of whom live in Southern California.

Aerospace Corp. is a nonprofit that operates a federally funded research and development center for national space and defense programs. Customers pay the company for work only as needed. With this methodology, any disruption has a greater impact than for other contractors.

The government’s partial shutdown also has a very real, regrettable impact on morale and the future ability of such companies to hire and retain the best “rocket scientists.” These contractors need to continue to deliver value on near-term and long-term programs that impact our daily lives.

A broad appropriations bill would put these people and thousands of others back to work.

Today’s government shutdown impacts real people and real programs, and it offers real lessons for our future.

Bill Fisher

El Segundo

Dennis Kenneally

San Diego

Fisher is the mayor of El Segundo; Kenneally, a retired U.S. Army major general, is the executive director of the Southwest Defense Alliance.

California voters should take note that their representatives on both sides of the aisle have remained basically silent throughout the shutdown. Rather than being courageous and proposing alternatives, they have hidden behind their leadership rather than being what Teddy Roosevelt aptly named “the man in the ring.”

I hope that this lack of action and compromise will remain in the voters’ minds heading into the 2014 election season.

Dennis Fitzgerald

Manhattan Beach

Our country is broken beyond repair. We need to accept that and divorce ourselves from the crazies.

It is ridiculous that we live in the richest state with the largest population, and that a few dozen representatives from smaller states are running the show. Perhaps it is time to take our economy and leave the Union.

I’m tired of not having a voice in Washington.

Karen Alkofer

Marina del Rey

Part of the ferocious resistance to the Affordable Care Act stems from the fear that if it works, Republicans will receive no credit.

There is room to make the law better. But right now, Republicans hope in vain to repeal it entirely. They should agree to several fixes that would make it more palatable to members of the Republican Party and improve it.

Then they can take credit: Call it “Oboehnercare.”

Michael Olson

Pasadena

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