Editorials / Opinion

Seattle Times letters to the editor

Government shutdown reveals blatant partisan parties

The Supreme Court’s poor understanding of the Constitution as it relates to term limits has brought us to this place in history [“Ripple effects fuel debate on the role of government,” page one, Oct. 14].

We have the elite group thinking they are more important than the people they represent. In fact, they don’t think they represent anyone.

Their vision is a two-class society, one of the elite and one of the poor. They are working at a fevered pace to eliminate the middle class. It makes no difference which party you pick, they are both the same. It’s them versus us.

If the voting public doesn’t figure out a way to change this soon, there will be no turning back. The Constitution says they will come from the fields to serve and then go back to the fields. They were never to make it a career. The founders knew if that happened, it would corrupt everything they tried to achieve.

What’s the difference, a king or a political elite? Very little from what I can see. Fire them all before it’s too late.

Roger Miller, Wenatchee

The Senate and the Capitol Dome are seen in Washington, Monday, Oct. 14, 2013. The Senate’s top two leaders both expressed optimism Monday that they were closing in on an agreement to prevent a national financial default and reopen the government after a two-week partial shutdown. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Government workers paid too much for too little work

The article in The Times reporting that furloughed government workers may get paid is disturbing [“Government doors closed, but workers may get paid,” page one, Oct. 6].

Our governing bodies seem to have lost a sense of logic. There are many reasons contributing to the nation’s financial woes. One of them is that government workers are paid too much.

A recent study indicated that they are paid 40 percent more than nongovernment workers for comparable jobs. Add that to the obvious incompetence of our Congress, made up of headstrong jerks unable to compromise and settle upon a plan that won’t threaten the nation’s future with unending increases in the national debt. That debt has increased every year since President Eisenhower. It cannot increase forever.

The truth is, we can’t afford the current federal staff from members of Congress down to the lowest unionized government worker. And we certainly can’t afford the incredible logic of laying off workers to save money, then deciding to pay them for their time off. That very decision proves there is rot in the system which deserves trimming as well as pay cuts all around.

Spencer M. Higley, Edmonds