Letter: What does a shut down mean?

Dear Editor,

Part of the reason for the Government Shutdown coming soon is that Republicans are trying to raise drug prices for seniors. The Inflation Reduction Act, the centerpiece of President Biden’s economic recovery plan, allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices. 79% of Americans support this, of both parties and independents, but the Republicans in Congress are trying to reverse this by killing the IRA act. The only reason I can see is that the drug companies are paying them to do that, and they are happily accepting the graft. 

They also plan to shut down the government next week. They will still get paid, but all other government employees, seniors, and veterans won’t. Small business loans will be stalled and food inspections will be curtailed if not halted all together. Commercial airline flights may get delayed or cancelled because the Controllers aren’t getting paid either. That won’t affect the rich because they fly on private jets and everyone else subsidizes their trips since they don’t pay the landing fees at any airports in the U.S. 

That is what Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Nick Langworthy, Elise Stefanik, and our own Marcus Molinaro want when they say smaller government – less for the regular people, but more tax breaks for the rich. The last time the Republicans pulled this stunt it cost our Gross Domestic Product $31 billion dollars in just 31 days. A billion dollars a day, gone. Is that what you want? If not, write or call your Congressman or woman and then vote them out next year if they refuse to listen to the people they are paid to represent. 

Sincerely,

William O’Connell

Owego, N.Y.