Dear Editor,

Legislators at the federal, state, and local levels are elected to make policy and govern. The Republican officials are once again fiddling while Rome (aka USA) burns.

At the federal level not one Republican from either house voted in favor of the American Rescue Plan to provide the American people relief from COVID-19.

The Republicans are doing everything in their power to ignore the Jan. 6 insurrection and the involvement of white supremacists in this attack on our Capitol. They are not interested in investigating who instigated this riot much less holding anyone responsible for participating in these criminal activities.

The Republicans just want to talk about such heady issues as Dr. Seuss and Mr. Potato Head.

One GOP member even took an exotic vacation while his state was enduring extreme cold which left them without electricity and water.

The one thing that does animate the Republicans at the state level is voter suppression. Forty-three states are busy trying to discourage people from voting. Because the number of polls are being reduced, many voters have to stand in line for hours to cast their votes. As hard as it is to believe, a law has been proposed to make it a crime to provide water and snacks to these people. It is difficult to take such policies seriously and even more difficult to have much faith in leaders who propose such laws. It appears these officials have failed to defend the Constitution and protect the American people.

Rene Payne

Stanford