Federal workers pay the price for government shutdown that’s not their fault

The inability of our elected leaders to compromise has led to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. I am proud of my work as a federal employee in service to the country I love. Federal workers nationwide are forced to stay at home and wait for the government to reopen, and are no longer able to provide the services on which our fellow Americans rely.

Middle-class federal workers and their families are stretching their pennies until the shutdown is over. Even though pay will be restored eventually, bills still arrive on time even if paychecks don’t. Many federal employees are being forced to make difficult and unnecessary financial decisions to make ends meet.

Our legislators in Congress and the president need to stop playing political games with our government’s services and those who provide them. We are now in a crisis and our leaders must work to promptly reopen the government. We must call them to reach consensus immediately, so committed federal employees across the nation and right here at home can get back to work for our country.

Francis Casey, Oak Brook

This government shutdown is disgraceful. My family is having to make sacrifices and blow through our savings, which we’ve worked hard to attain in order to get ahead. Now instead of getting ahead, we will barely be getting by. My husband is still going to work without pay, when many others are just taking leave. He is busting his butt to do the right thing, and the same courtesy should be given back to him and our family. My mom is disabled and on a limited income, and may face losing the food stamps that she depends on to get by. I am currently pregnant and while this should be a joyous time in our lives, we are suffering when we’ve done nothing wrong.

This isn’t right. We are being held hostage for a problem we didn’t cause.

Casey Patschke, Lakeview

Trump and Putin

Trump has met with Putin five times, confiscated the notes and sworn the translator to secrecy. Apparently no one in our administration, the military or the intelligence community knows what was discussed in order to properly form a policy. Given Trump’s support for Putin and his administration’s contact with over 100 Russians, I suspect it’s about how he can repay them for their financial assistance when U.S. banks refused to loan him money after his bankruptcies.

Perhaps the Russians continue to launder money through Trump’s various properties and enrich him in violation of the emoluments clause in the Constitution. Or, more likely, how to eliminate or relax the sanctions imposed by Obama.

Possibly Trump is angling for ownership of a country club he can retire to in the Crimea after Robert Mueller reports Trump’s treasonous connections to Putin and various Russian oligarchs.

Tom Minnerick, Elgin