The nation has been brought to its knees by self-centered ideologues that were foolish or deceitful enough to tell the American people that it wouldn’t be so bad if the nation defaulted on its debt.
Whether or not the debt ceiling has been raised and the federal government is no longer shutdown by the time that you are reading this – and we certainly hope that’s the case – tremendous damage has been done.
The people responsible for this damage must be held accountable. We are not talking about the entire Congress. We are talking about the conservative extremists in the House led by the Tea Party and the cowardly Republican Congress members who could not find the courage to stand up to them.
Those who voted against the plan to reopen the government and raise or at least “lift” the debt limit for a period of time should hang their heads in shame.
There are endless examples of the damage that the shutdown has done.
The emergency change in schedule at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point is one example that hits close to home. The academy was forced to start its fall break early because of the shutdown.
In a posting on the academy’s Web site, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Superintendent James Helis wrote, “I know I speak for the entire Kings Point community when I express my frustration and disappointment with the current government shutdown and its impact on the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
“While all the service academies are being forced to make changes as a result, the impact on the USMMA is the most severe due to the fact that our faculty and staff are nearly all civilians, and therefore subject to the shutdown furloughs that do not impact active duty military personnel.”
The service academy trains midshipmen for military service and careers in the maritime industry, but unlike the armed forces, it is not protected from the impact of the shutdown.
Travel costs were affected by the sudden change and some the students could not afford to go home. If the shutdown continues past Oct. 15, it is possible the academy will close.
But, don’t worry, your taxes are still paid to fly the Republican congress members to Washington where they marched in lockstep behind the ultra-conservative minority and did nothing to end this disaster.
Please do not try to tell us that this is a bipartisan problem. It is not.
What the nation is witnessing is that it is possible for a handful of congress members to shut down the government that they swore to represent. This time the issue is Obamacare. What will it be next time?
We call on Rep. Peter King (R-Long Island), and others who say they are moderates, to stand up for the Merchant Marine Academy, the investors in the stock market, the world’s trust in America’s finances, the families of military service members and millions of other Americans impacted by the nonsense in Washington to say “enough!”
The American people should serve notice on the Tea Party that, because of its pigheaded selfishness, it has become persona non grata on Long Island and throughout America.
