Editor,

The irresponsibility of congressional Republicans, and the cowardice of their so-called “leaders”, is truly appalling.

In order to appease the most radical fringe of their party, and thereby protect their jobs, the Republican “leadership” in the House of Representatives has refused to allow a vote on a clean continuing resolution to keep the United States government fully functioning. As a result, 800,000 individuals have been furloughed from their jobs and many significant government programs, including important health and safety inspections, have been severely compromised.

The same Republicans who insisted on the partial shutdown of the federal government are now insisting on holding the full faith and credit of the United States hostage to their demands. They are threatening to refuse to allow our country to pay its bills, bills that the Congress has run up. The United States has never defaulted on its financial obligations, and the economic consequences of doing so would be catastrophic. That does not seem to bother the radical Republicans, and their “leaders” have been too afraid of them to do the right thing for the country.

I am disgusted with both the radical Republicans and their cowardly, irresponsible “leadership”. They are all an embarrassment to our democracy.

Larry Feldman

Lakeside