Shutdown
For a short time, I thought the Democrats might score a gain in the government shutdown, but it has become a standoff. The Democrats’ strategy has turned into a new Democrat DOGE – no Musk needed. Thousands of government employees are facing unemployment. Trump may be able to pick which employees will be allowed to return to their jobs.
I have been a bit confused about what the COVID-era temporary health insurance help was designed to cover. To consider a political solution, we might start with a hypothetical return to the status quo before COVID-19. Then we should look at the people who have been able to recover their jobs or get new jobs with similar benefits.
Many people who worked in offices, factory floors, labs, or took public transit to work lost jobs and their benefits. Those who have been able to return to approximately the same circumstances should not be eligible for extensions. Those who have not found work that returns them to the same benefits should continue to receive help. So should those who were receiving assistance before the pandemic.
One needed change might be to allow people to enroll in health insurance on any day of the year, not just during an “enrollment period.”
After the Democrats and Republicans have agreed to a return to the status where no one is worse off than before the pandemic, Congress should then take up the question of how best to achieve the “general welfare” for everyone.
Eugene Gobby, Somerville
Raising a Child
Anyone who’s becoming a parent must spend time thinking about the world they’ll be offering to a child. Liberals and conservatives alike agree that parenting calls on us to act responsibly, though our conceptions of “family values” may differ.
As a parent raising a daughter in the early 2000s, I was far more worried about my child growing up in a world of increasing environmental disruption than I was about her being aware of gay people. I was far more worried about the possibilities of a food system on the verge of collapse than about her exposure to scientific facts and intellectual inquiry.
As someone who follows environmental news carefully, I fully understand the apprehensions of young people today when they consider bringing a new life into the world. If America’s leaders genuinely want to encourage prospective parents, they should not ignore the impact of climate change on what is perhaps the most important life choice any of us can make.
Warren Senders, Medford
https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/11/05/letters-to-the-editor-735/
