Friday, October 18, 2013

Shameful votes

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    Shame on Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch. Shame on Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador. If they had had their way, the U.S. government would still be shut down and for the first time in history the nation would have failed to pay its debts—debts incurred not only by the Obama administration, but by previous Republican administrations as well.
    After 16 days of government shutdown that closed government services and hobbled a wide spectrum of industries, communities, families and individuals, after 16 days of trying to end or cripple the Affordable Health Care Act, Republicans had made their point. But the majority of Idaho’s delegation wouldn’t let go.
    Single-minded stubbornness is not a virtue when it endangers lives, livelihoods, the full faith and credit of the United States and the world’s largest economy. It’s just blind stupidity.
    What would they have the nation do? Keep its offices shuttered and services shut down until the election next fall—the first opportunity Americans would have to vote them out of office in order to open the doors of government again? They were clearly willing to inflict a lot more pain on their fellow citizens and to risk chaos.
    Second District Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson was more sensible and more courageous than his Republican colleagues. Even though he faces a primary challenge from the right wing of the Republican Party in the spring, something that had others shaking in their boots, he voted to re-open the government and pay the bills.
    Idaho’s leaders must quit fostering the delusion that the state runs on its own without substantial federal subsidies. It can’t and it doesn’t.
    Crapo, Risch and Labrador should quit playing to the lowest political denominator, use their brains and expensive educations, and lead—or get out of the way.

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