Former state representative Spec Bowers offers an unsettling view of governance in his “My Turn” column (Monitor Forum, March 25).
He claims that a Republican majority in New Hampshire’s House should automatically pass most Republican bills, and defeat most Democratic ones. In short, he expects representatives simply to vote party lines most of the time, leaving details about issues, practicalities and policies to the devil’s lurking inside them. That approach has brought Congress to a standstill. Do we need that gridlock in Concord, too?
Personally, I hope House members of both parties vote on a bill’s actual merits. Does the bill relieve, prevent or correct a real-life problem facing substantial numbers of constituents? Surely that’s a better basis for evaluating legislation than the party affiliation of those sponsoring it.
If Bowers wants more “Republican” legislation to pass, perhaps he should encourage his Republican representatives to come up with better bills.
JANE J. HUNT
Concord