Greg Awtry

I was angry, then mad, now infuriated.

The United States Government is shut down by Congress, specifically the U.S. Senate, but that doesn’t mean the House of Representatives isn’t equally responsible, although using the word “responsible” in conjunction with the Senate and House should be a criminal offense. The Democrat and Republican fingers of blame are nearing the numbers of our national debt, so let me clear this up right now on who exactly is to blame.

I am reminded of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of Snow White when the wicked witch Grimhilde asks, “Mirror, mirror on the wall,” and I suggest every member of the House and Senate should take a long look into that mirror and instead of saying, “Who is the fairest of them all?” ask “What the hell am I doing to this great nation?”

In January of this year, Congress had only a 17 percent approval rating percent, according to a Gallup poll. A whopping 76 percent disapproved and the remaining seven percent were most likely so upset they said nothing. This is a national shout out that Americans are fed up with the political partisan trench warfare that takes place every singe day in our Capital, and that shout out is obviously falling on deaf ears. The foremost responsibility of Congress is to fund the federal government, and yet they have failed to pass a budget on time for the last 30 years. And they haven’t passed a balanced budget in the last 25 years. And almost equally sad is that we reelected 97 percent of the incumbents last November!

To them, it’s all a game, a political game of gaining or regaining power, closely followed by their zealous desire to get reelected and their quest to raise funds for that reelection. Again, this has become all too obvious to we the voters as we watch them languish in the airtight soundproof dome of the United States Capital.

Well, it’s not a game. Imagine going to your favorite football team’s game and you, along with a hundred thousand other fans in the stadium, heard over the loudspeaker that the game is canceled because your team’s offense and defense couldn’t get along. What do you mean? Aren’t the offense and defense on the same team? Yes, they are, and so are the members of the House and the Senate. They are leaders of American’s team, or are they? The answer is no, they are not on the same team. They belong to a nasty partisan rivalry that has infected the very health, well-being and the future of America, and we must straighten this out and in a collective voice, say, “This Must End, and End Now!”

We know, by their actions, where Congress’s priorities are, and they are nowhere close to what matters to We The People. We don’t care about their party loyalty. We don’t care what committee assignments they want. We don’t care about which side of the aisle they sit on. We don’t care how much money they raise, or their favorite lobbyists, or their kiss-ass large donors. We care about the economy and the struggle so many have making ends meet every month. We care about the constantly rising prices. We care about the mass shootings we read about nearly every day. We care about the increasing health care costs. We care about the fact that Medicare and Social Security will go bankrupt in eight years. We care about the $37 trillion of debt Congress has placed on our children, grandchildren and millions of Americans not even born yet. And yes, we care about our failing educational system, our safety and security, and our fundamental rights, especially the First Amendment rights of free speech and the right to peaceably assemble and publicly voice our governmental grievances, which is the reason I am writing this today.

We are angry. We are divided. I believe we are looking for leaders who have the vision and ability to unite us, to inspire us, and to set an example for the people, instead of witnessing the sorry dysfunction inside the Halls Of Congress. To all the federal elected representatives we voted in to do what’s best for our country, and us look into that mirror, point your finger at the image looking back, and admit you are at fault. We trusted you. We believed in you. We counted on you. But you are failing, failing miserably. Tell yourselves to roll up your sleeves, reach out to the other side, and find the common ground on which to rebuild our faith in government. And before you think for a single moment about making more promises to us as we approach next year’s election, remember we don’t trust you any longer. We put our country’s future in your hands. Did we make a mistake? Show us you have the courage to look into that mirror. Show us you can shake hands with the other side. Show us you apologize to Americans for your poor job performance, and show us with your actions that you mean it.

Otherwise, your words to us, just as our words to you, will be falling on deaf ears.

Is the division in Congress helpful or harmful for our country, and how we can fix it? Let me know at gregawtry@awtry.com. Greg Awtry is the former publisher of the Scottsbluff (Neb.) Star-Herald and Nebraska’s York News-Times. He is now retired and living in Hubbard Lake.