To the editor:

As a citizen of the United States of America, I was under the assumption that members of the House and Senate were voted on by their constituents to do their job and ensure that the government runs efficiently and effectively. Unfortunately, you have failed to do so.

Most citizens are held accountable for their actions or inactions while employed. I know I always was. I also held employees who reported to me to the standards of their job descriptions. If they didn’t fulfill the obligations they agreed to when they accepted their appointment, then disciplinary actions were applied.

Regardless of party affiliation, I find it difficult to understand how you can honestly continue to receive a paycheck and do absolutely nothing to end the government closure besides blaming the other side of the aisle. I will not tell you how you should feel, but if I were in your situation, I would be embarrassed and possibly ashamed of myself.

The focus should not be on being reelected or how the party deems what I should or shouldn’t do, but should be on the constituents you were elected by.

I implore all members of Congress to set aside their ideological differences and end this shutdown for the greater good of the United States of America.

Tom Finch

Saranac Lake