Letters: Plenty of blame to go around

Re “Did Congress learn anything?,” Editorial, Oct. 17, and “Economic hit from impasse could endure,” Oct. 18

The ultimate blame for the bad behavior of elected officials lies with those who elected them.

The lesson to be learned from the recent political fiasco should be abundantly clear by now: Never vote for politicians claiming government is evil, because — if elected — they can prove it.

Until we change our voting habits, we can only expect more of the same.

Angus Andrews
Westlake Village

I am offended that both parties are using the term “the American people” as a pawn as they try to defend their arguments: “The American people want this, the American people want that.”

Stop it already. It is obvious that neither party has a clue about what most of the American people really want.

This member of“the American people” wants a middle-of-the-road compromise on most issues, plain and simple.

Jack Allen
Santa Monica

According to your front-page article, “Standard & Poor’s U.S. chief economist estimated that the shutdown and debt-limit standoff cost the economy $24 billion in reduced activity in the final three months of the year.”

So, I submit this

invoice:

From: The U.S. economy;

To: Sen. Ted Cruz and the tea party;

$24,000,000,000 (and counting).

Please call for information on our easy repayment plan.

Norman Palley
Culver City

The willingness of the Republicans to throw the country under the bus had nothing whatsoever to do with the budget or the deficit; it was driven solely by their hatred of the

Affordable Care Act and its architect, President Obama.

They want to gut the act before tens of millions of voters are able to avail themselves of health coverage previously denied them.

Their worst nightmare is that the act may actually do some good and that the Democrats accrue political capital as a result.

Herb L. Weinberg
Los Angeles

To all Obama fans: Please don’t pop your corks just yet.

The president has shown his lack of leadership during this government shutdown.

For our president to lash out at the other side of the aisle is not only counterproductive but shows extremely poor judgment. Compare former Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan. They were leaders and could make deals with the other party.

Randy E. Aldridge
Palmdale

Of all the decisions I’ve made in my life, three turned out to have been particularly important: my move to California, my remarriage to a wonderful second wife and my leaving the Republican Party two years ago.

Considering the recent actions of the Republican members of Congress to try to repeal or defund Obamacare, I would be embarrassed to call myself a Republican today.

Wally Grayson
Santa Monica

If we would all stop foaming at the mouth over who was right or wrong in this debacle, we would see that we do have problems and there are solutions.

Medicare and Social Security (which should be labeled “safety nets” instead of “entitlements”) and increasing taxation of the wealthy (which is falsely claimed to damage investment in jobs) all have to be on the table.

Means testing applied to Social Security benefits would not hurt seniors who really need the support. And taxing higher incomes at a fixed percentage rate that cannot be offset by deductions would not destroy investment.

The wealthy invest because they see potential earnings in doing so. And an economically healthy nation is a good place in which to invest.

The elderly (I’m 76) and the rich both care about this country and about what shape it will be in when we pass it on to our grandchildren.

Larry W. Cohen
Vista

It makes no difference whether it’s called the tea party or the coffee party or the vodka party or the gin party: It’s still the Republican Party.

George Shahinian
Huntington Beach

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