A recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that 83 percent of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing, and 57 percent of us want to replace "every single member of Congress," including our own representatives.
We've had it. But what happens if we replace all of them? We could end up with a Congress full of rookies, who, with no seniority, no history and no "set-in-place" leadership, just wander around and mess things up. We have no idea what we will get.
However, the alternative of keeping a "do nothing," feet-in-concrete Congress is predictably bad. Some might think that a "do-nothing" Congress is OK because, by doing nothing, they can't make things worse.
Regrettably, doing nothing means living with the sequester, no budget, no resolution on the debt ceiling, and no re-authorization of valuable and essential pieces of legislation. This is another form of chaos, and it creates a serious threat to our economy and our way of life.
Last election we returned most incumbents to Washington, which only perpetuated their behavior. We may have sent the wrong message. Perhaps this time we will do more. Maybe we should surprise them by our actions in the voting booth. We may possibly have to endure two years of confusion, but we can straighten out mistakes at the subsequent election.
If those in Congress want to keep their jobs, then they need to find compromise and take action on behalf of all Americans. If I were them, I wouldn't want to be surprised by a fed-up electorate.
Paul S. Puccio
Castleton