So entrenched they won't change minds

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." This comment is by George Bernard Shaw and could offer a basis to understand why nothing of substance happens in Springfield or Washington.

We have become so locked in our viewpoints that we cannot change them. No change means no progress. We should not wonder why we don't have a state budget or why the federal government largely exists on continuing resolutions rather than annual budgets.

It seems that the days of political compromise (changing our minds) are long past. The viewpoints promoted by the Republicans and Democrats are so entrenched in ideology that neither side is likely to significantly change their minds. Perhaps the answer resides with the voting public rather than the politicians?

Royce M. Blackwell

Elgin