Letter: Blame Republicans for state of Washington

Monday, July 31, 2006 | 7:24 a.m.

When voters go to the polls this fall, they should keep in mind that the Republicans have controlled the Congress since 1994. Which means that they decide which bills they want to examine in the Republican-controlled committees, and then the Republican leadership decides what bills they will bring to the floor for a vote. Democrats who are in the minority have little say.

It's the same in the White House, which Republicans have controlled since President Bush took office in 2001. He is the chief executive officer for our country, and is the commander-in-chief for our military. He appoints all the heads of the federal departments and agencies, and gives direction to the country at home and abroad.

Since President Bush seldom confers with the Democratic leadership, they have little input in his decisions. To use a football phrase, we have been using the Republican playbook since President Bush took office.

So if you're upset at the mishandling of the Iraq war, or angry at the lack of action by our government regarding the illegal immigrant problem, or annoyed at the poor showing by FEMA and other government agencies, who are you going to blame? Only someone who doesn't understand how Washington works would try to blame the Democrats, as they have little ability to change things. It's a Republican show in Washington.

So who do you think should be returned to office? The Republicans? Maybe you might want to give the Democrats a chance. They couldn't do any worse than the Republicans, and they possibly could do a lot better.

Richard J. Mundy, Las Vegas

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