Remember all who fail to compromise

After reading the article “No budge in budget standoff”, in the Oct. 3 Daily Herald, I believe the fault for the federal government shutdown cannot be blamed on one party. Both the Republicans and Democrats share equal responsibility for the federal budget crisis and the looming debt ceiling.

Shame on these elected officials in Washington-their unwillingness to compromise tells me they are out of touch with the average American and what is good for them.

Poll the 800,000 furloughed federal workers who won’t be collecting their paychecks, and I think they will agree. They are the ones without a paying job as Congress sits secure with their employment and special benefits.

Too much is at stake to for either party to play this waiting game. The Republican House wants to defund Obamacare or repeal the health care law as “the price” for reopening the government. Democrats are holding firm to their position of no changes to the 3-year-old health care law and reopening government and increasing the debt ceiling with no concessions.

The time to negotiate is now, before the country’s line of credit runs out and the economy takes another nose-dive.

If Republicans and Democrats are unwilling to come to the table to find a solution before the deadline, I encourage voters to remember this selfishness from both parties at the next election.

Patrick Betti

Mundelein