Congress

Congress' full-throated adulation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was an embarrassment and made me fret for the future of our nation ("Congress lauds Israeli leader", May 25). Bloody and expensive foreign misadventures stemming from our uncritical support of an ethno-religious state bent on expansion and control are bound to follow. John G. Bailey, Edgemere

In a letter to the editor ("Experience counts," Oct. 8), Mike Callahan writes that President Barack Obama "can't work with Congress and overrides congressional laws and regulations. " Is it possible that he cannot work with a Congress that has chosen not to work with him? This is a Congress, fueled by a tea party, that has decided not to believe in compromise and has vowed to make him a one-term president. These people are so dogmatic in their attitudes that they cannot work with anyone who may disagree with them.

Republican State Sen. Andy Harris officially filed his candidacy for Congress, his campaign announced Tuesday, setting up a rematch with Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil in the First District. "I am running to be the next member of Congress for Maryland's First District to protect citizens from an out-of-control Congress," Harris, an obstetric anesthesiologist and three-term state senator, said in a statement. "After 18 months of bailouts, government takeovers, the largest national debt in history and trillion dollar spending schemes, it is clear we need new leadership in Washington."

I don't have strong enough words, without using profanity, to describe how disgusting the actions of Congress are and have been for some time now. The latest action was the near-shutdown. Congress is too involved with mudslinging, one party against the other, ignoring the real people out there who would have been seriously impacted by a shutdown. For Congress to play games and threaten to shut down the government, but still expect essential employees to come to work is ludicrous.

As a fifth grader, I agree that compromise is needed to rebuild America ("A resolution for 2012: Restore American values," Dec. 28). But it was amazing to see how people in the Congress could not get along in 2011 and blamed President Obama for everything. Congress took more breaks than the average elementary school child. For example, from August to September I was working hard in school and the Congress was, like, out watching Happy Feet. America's national debt is more than $14 trillion and people who need jobs don't have them.

A recent article highlighted the dysfunction resulting from the broken Medicare physician payment system ("End the 'doc fix' charade, once and for all," Jan. 22). Physicians who care for millions of Medicare patients across our nation are weary of the destabilizing series of scheduled cuts and short-term patches, coupled with payment rates that have fallen well below the rate of inflation over the past decade. It is widely agreed that Congress must eliminate this problem once and for all. But this is only the first step.

Your recent editorial regarding poverty ("The nonworking poor," Sept. 18) should be required reading for all members of Congress who are gainfully employed with great benefits. The mere fact more and more of their constituents are living in poverty, becoming homeless, and receiving no medical benefits is totally inexcusable. Why do these disturbing conditions exist? Because jobs, mostly in manufacturing, have gone and continue to go overseas. Our middle class is and always has been reliant on manufacturing jobs as the locomotive of a prosperous economy.

"White House sounds alarm" is the headline for an article in The Sun ( July 13). "Obama says checks might not go out unless deal is made. " Later in the story it says "Republicans have said the Treasury should prioritize its bills. " I agree completely. If a deal isn't made, the first checks that should not go out are for the senators and congressmen who are grandstanding to make political points, not working for what's best for the country. Shame on all of them. David Gosey, Towson

Letter writers like Michael Stevens who maintain that "President Barack Obama has had four years to dig us out of the economic slump and has not done so" ignore the fact that tea party members of the Republican-controlled House have stymied his every effort to move ahead with responsible budgets and job-creation ("Romney can create jobs," Oct. 10). Immovable objects who then blame others for lack of cooperation should not be given a free pass. The grown-ups need to take back the U.S. House of Representatives so our country can move ahead again.

How can Congress not be acting when thousands of Marylanders and millions of Americans are losing their unemployment benefits during the holidays? ( "Anxious time for laid-off workers as unemployment-benefit program expires," Nov. 29.) My partner and I were laid off from a government contracting job at the same time back in May. We have both sent out hundreds of resumes and gotten no job offers. We have had our home foreclosed on and had to move into a one-bedroom apartment.