Will president, Congress respond?

The election is over and the people have spoken — loud and clear! However, this is not a time for the Republicans to fist bump and high five. Nor is it time for the Democrats to wring their hands. This election was a repudiation of Obama administration policies and discontent over the direction this country is going; and disgust over our do-nothing Congress, aimed at both political parties. The American people are saying “Representatives and senators, do your job — get to work!”

There are major problems and challenges that this country faces and they cannot be solved without bipartisan cooperation. While the word “compromise” may not be in President Obama’s or Harry Reid’s vocabulary, it has always been and should be part of our political process.

We can all agree that we need sensible reform in the following areas: health care (and not a law that we have to pass to see what’s in it or depend on the stupidity of American voters to pass it); Social Security and Medicare (eliminating the fraud and waste would pay for both programs for generations to come); immigration (rules that secure our borders and give people in this country illegally a path to citizenship but does not put them ahead of immigrants who followed the law); environment (sensible but not punitive laws); the national debt and out-of-control spending (by both political parties); and our need for a balanced budget.

President Obama can react to all of this with a spirit of cooperation in working with Republicans and Democrats in Congress and actually representing all of the people of this great nation, or he can trash the Constitution with executive orders further dividing this nation. If President Obama chooses to sit on the sidelines and pout and start planning his book and lecture tour, then Congress should move forward without him. Are Republicans and Democrats going to move the ball toward the goal line or are they going to punt—again?

Mike Shouse

Edmonds