Dear Editor:

With the continuing politically self-created federal economic crisis, it is overdue that moderates, true conservatives and liberals unite against the political extremists that have overtaken control of our government. This includes not just elected political leaders and their two parties, but more importantly the people of this country.

We must have a clean continuing resolution ("CR") and a logical increase in our national debt without ideological conditions and amendments that are more aimed at advancement of an extremist agenda than dealing with the real work of the legislative branch of government. Our country was built on compromise and pragmatic solutions to problems and issues, not some ideological claptrap.

If the current speaker of the house had any national leadership ability he would strengthen his and the Republican extremist wing position by allowing a vote on a clean CR.  That clearly today (October 8, 2013) is not something the speaker will risk since he would most probably lose that vote.

It is time to allow compromise as the Democrats did this spring in accepting the Republican overall discretionary budget level and the Senate's 18 requests for a conference committee to resolve the variance between the two Houses of Congress. As anyone who has engaged in negotiations knows, as I have for 23 years in human resources labor relations negotiations, one never negotiates with an extremist threat that undermines the process.

We have lost the ability in our government to unite on a strategic approach and deal only on tactical attack based on an extremist ideological. That may win battles, but never the war. The attempt to undermine “the United States” and return to the pre-Civil War “these United States” characterized by regional division does not advance the country in the 21st century, but returns to the pre-1860 disunity of the 19th century.

This must end and the overwhelming majority of the center (moderates and true conservatives and liberals) must demand a compromise on the strategic vision for our country and reject the extremism that is destroying the institutions of our nation and its position as an ideal for the world of effective republican democracy.

Mike Loewe
Boothbay