Oct 3, 2013 4 min read

Readers mature enough in years to remember the Iranian hostage crisis will recall how news on television was often introduced: “America Held Hostage – Day …” By the time it ended, on Jan. 20, 1981, the same day Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as president, it was “Day 444.”

Of course, not all of America was held hostage; just 52 of us. But the effect of the crisis was felt by everyone.

America is being held hostage again, and this is Day 4.

Figuratively, the fanatical mob in this case is a faction of the Republican Party, and the blindfolded hostages are 800,000 federal workers. Unless the Affordable Health Care Act, or Obamacare, is repealed or delayed, they will close down government by refusing to fund it. And even worse than that, they’re threatening to throw the nation into default by refusing to raise the debt ceiling, which would cause a global economic crisis and plunge us into not just recession but another Great Depression.

If you are not employed by the federal government and not planning on visiting the Smithsonian museums or our national parks soon, you might be thinking that all this turmoil has nothing to do with you.

Think again.

What sort of effect will 800,000 people filing for unemployment compensation have on the fragile recovery of our economy? What consequences will come from the suspension of medical research projects, food and drug inspections and the flu-shot program have on our country’s health?

If locks and dams are not maintained, how much in major repairs will that cost us down the road? If we close down the programs that lift people out of poverty and ignorance, we will only be a poorer and more ignorant nation as a result. It costs us more to close government than to keep it open, so what has happened to the concern over wasteful spending?

It cannot be ignored that the Affordable Care Act is new, hardly perfect and will certainly encounter problems and create others. Changes will need to be made when those problems present themselves. Massachusetts’ health care law, after which Obamacare was fashioned, has functioned well and is popular in that state; that law has been altered and improved through legislation. Changes to the Affordable Care Act should be considered, discussed, debated and voted upon, but as separate bills – not as attachments to legislation needed to keep government functioning.

Our readers should be aware that our two members of the House of Representatives, Republicans Tim Murphy and Bill Shuster, are in lock step with the hostage takers.

Their opposition to allowing so many of their constituents to obtain health insurance they can afford and not be denied has always been troubling, but running with this mob on Capitol Hilll is reprehensible.

We hope our Congress members are paying attention the growing frustration of the people they represent, and we trust Murphy is glancing at the comments on his own website.

Some are supportive of his stance, but most seem to urge him to find the courage to defy the mob:

“All the good you have done is being torn down,” one person posted.

“The ACA has nothing to do with a clean bill funding the government. Those of us that depend on federal programs and may miss payments will hurt our credit, not yours. Think about your civic duty.”

One person wrote: “I hope on Election Day that everyone remembers the people that held our country hostage!”

Another post reads: “Please stop supporting the tea party position which represents a small fraction of Americans. Please stand up and be independent. Vote for what is right. Stop the shutdown.”

We couldn’t have said it better.