It’s unreasonable to request workers to pay back money after shutdown The issues surrounding unemployment benefits received by government workers during the shutdown are important and have a direct impact on many residents of the state of Washington [“State asking federal workers to return unemployment benefits,” NWWednesday, Oct. 23]. The shutdown affected government workers in all states…

Congressional members responsible for delayed budget Interesting that many view the launch of the Obamacare health law as a dismal failure, many senators who voted for the start of the program now say it should be delayed [“Shutdown delays IRS tax-filing season,” News, Oct. 23]. This is all the House of Representatives wanted in an exchange for…

Damage from shutdown will exist for a long time Thanks to our elected officials who just finished playing “global thermonuclear war” with our economy and global status as a world leader [“Post-shutdown haggling begins,” page one, Oct. 18]. The style of governing that upholds the United States as an example of a thriving democracy includes compromising. This…

Democrats equally at fault Editor, The Times: The Republican Party surrendered almost unconditionally in trying to link short-term billion-dollar budget decisions (like Obamacare) to long-term trillion-dollar indebtedness [“GOP sacrificed standing in long, futile fight on health care,” page one, Oct. 17]. As we approach the negotiated December deadlines for new ideas, we might recall Dec. 6, 1941, and…

President Obama encourages fight between parties What we just witnessed in Washington, D.C., is a stunning lack of leadership [“Out of jeopardy, but for how long? page one, Oct. 17]. The speaker of the House is unable to come up with a coherent message as to why he chose this time and place to “take a stand.”…

President must learn to negotiate President Obama is willfully prolonging the government shutdown and spitefully making middle-class Americans suffer [“Obamacare battle rife with ideological irony,” news, Oct. 15]. Just as former President Clinton negotiated with U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich and President Reagan negotiated with U.S. Rep. Tip O’ Neill for the betterment of America, President Obama should…

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…

It’s ironic I was struck by the article on cattle losses in North Dakota [“N. Dakota delayed revealing oil spill,” news, Oct. 12]. It is the height of irony that this deeply red state, its representative supporting the shutdown and denying global warming, has suffered this loss and is whining about the lack of support from the…

Who has the courage to step up? There is a way to resolve the current impasse in Congress. One member of Congress needs to have the courage to introduce a bill that would cut off congressional paychecks until an agreement is reached, which pulls our country away from the latest financial abyss. [“What the fight over…

Term limits should be enacted for members of congress While the Republicans and Democrats argue, we’re all losing. Valuable services are being denied and now we’re facing default. Government is too big. What is the alternative? We can’t completely close shop and start over. The answer is to fire the employees. If the people working for me…