I was happy to see coverage of the federal government shutdown in The Easterner (Issue 4, Oct. 16, 2013). However, the article’s depiction of the shutdown debacle as a political “dispute” is erroneous and implies that both parties were equally to blame. This is not true.
Democrats had been asking for budget negotiations since April, yet were repeatedly denied by Republicans. After failing to repeal the Affordable Care Act, House Republicans voted for repeal over 40 additional times, despite their cognizance of its futility.
A small cohort of radical Republicans was most involved in orchestrating the shutdown, but many others are complicit, if only through their acceptance of radical leaders. (Every Republican member voted “repeal” at least once during the repeal marathon; most voted multiple times.)
After the shutdown failed to menace their Democrat colleagues, these Republicans bartered the government’s reopening against a list of increasingly desperate demands: denial of birth control coverage, tax modifications and coal deregulation.
The government was not “forced” to shut down. It was held hostage by a group of extremists. The shutdown was an act of terrorism against the United States government perpetrated by some of its own elected officials.
The article also stated that both parties have yet to agree on the “legitimacy of the legislation.” This is a right-wing ploy. The ACA was passed by Congress and upheld as constitutional in the Supreme Court. It was ratified when President Obama was re-elected. The ACA is law. Its legitimacy is not up for debate.
I understand the need to present information in a fair and balanced way. However, sometimes the only way to be fair is to report the facts, even when the conclusion is offensive. The Easterner had an opportunity to report the truth of the story, but opted instead for an equivocal set piece.
