“No Work. No Pay.” Congressman John Curtis has it right with his bill: “No Work, No Pay.” If other employees of the federal government are missing paychecks during the partial shutdown, then Congress should as well.
As Curtis points out, Congress isn’t doing its most basic job – passing a budget and funding the government. He has introduced H.R. 26 that would prohibit U.S. senators and representatives from being paid if they shut down any federal agency due to lapse of funding.
Curtis is having his own pay withheld until the government is fully funded. He may be able to afford it, but many members of Congress would quickly feel the pain of not being paid – just like the 800,000 federal employees.
If appeals to common sense and good public policy don’t work, perhaps hitting members of Congress in the pocketbook will lead them to compromise. Other members of the Utah delegation ought to support Curtis’ bill.
Advice to Mitt Romney. Sorry, but I was not impressed by the Romney op-ed attacking Trump’s moral character. The timing made no sense and it came across as gratuitous and self-serving. It was dumb. Trump’s character flaws are many, but they are old news.
Everyone knew all about Trump’s character well before he won the presidency. Romney himself pointed out Trump’s numerous imperfections in a widely covered 2016 speech. There was nothing new in Romney’s recent critique. He could write such an op-ed every day, mimicking the Democrats and liberal news media.
If Romney is going to be obsessed with Trump’s bountiful character flaws then, yes, he’ll grab headlines and be a hero to leftist politicians and the news media. But he won’t get much done in the U.S. Senate. He won’t solve problems or represent Utah very well.
How about focusing on reopening the government, dealing with the immigration crisis, and the other myriad problems facing the country? Sure, when you disagree with the president on real issues, do so vigorously. And when you agree, work with him. But a broad, personal attack on the president’s character is counterproductive.
Will Jason Chaffetz run for governor? I believe Chaffetz’ high level of partisanship and his unabashed support of Trump on Fox News will hurt him if he runs for governor of Utah. Utahns want a wise, thoughtful, father figure as their governor, not a flame-throwing ideologue. They want someone who can educate their children, prevent gridlock on the highways, and balance the state budget – not promote right-wing conspiracy theories. Fox News is a vastly different world than the Utah governorship.
Of course, a good politician can turn on a dime. Perhaps Chaffetz can re-invent himself. But I doubt it. Fox News also pays a whole lot better than running the state of Utah.
