Is this the downfall of the United States and its place in the world? Will it truly come as a result of childish political infighting that pits American against American, with no chance of compromise?

It is truly disturbing to see, but it appears as though Americans are only able to unify for a few months following some major disaster. I imagine that people in this country would be speaking German now, had the generation who lived through the Great Depression and fought in World War II been the same.

Like it or not, people now also face both economic crisis and an enemy that is active globally, suggesting that we might benefit from the work ethic that saw our parents and grandparents through hard times. Further, we might expect our government officials to do the same.

Americans have got to realize that compromise is not surrender when the parties involved are on the same side. Some might even call that unity.

Jamie Beaulieu, Jay