On June 14 in Alexandria, Virginia the Republican Whip was severely wounded while practicing for the yearly baseball game with the Democrats. (Congratulations to the Capital Police for acting so swiftly and effectively in taking down the gunman.) Afterwards the House rallied in support of the members and staff who had been shot and the leaders declared, "An attack upon one of us is an attack upon all of us” and “We are all Americans.” The game was played and when it was over, great comradery was shown by both sides of the aisle.

Later in the same week the Republican senators, sans Democrats, met behind closed doors to hammer out their version of the new health care bill. The excluded Democrats railed in righteous indignation that they, the public and medical experts were being excluded, conveniently forgetting that they alone had put together the first health care bill in the same manner.

You remember, the House speaker said that it must be passed before it can be read. Clearly, both of these bills were written by lobbyists and campaign supporters and Congress doesn’t want us to see how the sausage is made. Apparently, whatever the event that precipitates cooperation, compromise and good government are only good for a few days at most.

Clark Pritchett

Waterford