Letter to the Editor: An Ethical Resolution

As I have written in these pages, I am opposed to “shutting down the government” because our government is made up of real persons (not abstractions) who need a steady source of income in return for their legitimate work. But when there seems to be no other way to get the ruling party of our federal legislatures to act ethically, as in a “just war,” it may sometimes be the right thing to do.

The three-day hiatus we just witnessed produced one excellent result: a six-year extension of health care for children (CHIP). It is ethically unthinkable that the richest country in the world would ignore the health of children in need.

The next ethical hurdle is to extend the protection we granted to the “Dreamers” through DACA. The program is an example of “tough love.” Some 800,000 young people who have the status of illegal immigrants because they were brought here by their parents as children have been thoroughly screened and held to high standards of conduct. They are enrolled in school or in our military, and they have paid a hefty fee to be in this program, which grants them only temporary freedom from deportation as they work toward legal status! It is an ethical breach to subject them to the threat of mass deportation in March when they have done nothing to deserve such action.

I hope that another shutdown will not be required to uphold our long-term reputation as a country that honors its promises. Please contact your legislators to support the Dreamers before Feb. 8 when the next vote on a budget continuation will be taken.

Estella Lauter

Fish Creek, Wis.