The Perfect vs. The Good
I write in support of Senators Shaheen and Hassan and in disagreement with letters from Mr. Wayne Fuller and Ms. Jessica Bolker and others of a similar view. This is the classic case of the perfect being the enemy of the good.
I want the health tax credits extended for the ACA as much as both of our senators and all other Democrats do. However, with 43 days of the government being shut down, where over 590,000 federal workers were furloughed, over 700,000 federal workers required to work without pay, 42,000,000 low income and disabled people without food aid, as well as the 24 million people facing the lapse of the health care credits, something else had to be done.
It goes without saying that Republicans in the House and Senate have raised cruelty, human suffering and general human indifference for vast numbers of American citizens to a high art form. Our Senators, in negotiating with their GOP counterparts, knew better than any one of us, including those who advocate for including the health care credits in the continuing resolution. With the passage of the continuing resolution, federal workers are back at work with back pay and not being fired, SNAP recipients have their benefits and a congresswoman got sworn in. The Senate will vote on the extension of the health care credits in December. Thus, Democrats should be directing our fire at Republicans, not us, for the health care credits.