Woven into the negative inflammatory critiques of the present Republican political candidates, we hear the dull drumbeat of the “do-nothing Congress.” The more one hears this type of allegation without rebuttal, the more one is likely to believe them.

Are the present representatives and senators responsible for the gridlock? Bills originate in the House of Representatives. After discussion and a preliminary vote, they go to the Senate for additional discussion, possible amendment, and a vote.

The Senate president, presently Harry Reid, determines which bills will come to the Senate floor. To date, of the 356 bills originating in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives and sent to the Senate, he has not allowed any of them to come up for debate, amendment, or a vote. His decisions and actions explain the gridlock in Congress, paralyzing the will of the American people.

It is imperative that we change this nullification of Congress by one extraordinarily powerful man. By electing a Republican majority in the Senate, we will allow many of the bills presently languishing in a political no-man’s land to come up for a vote. This action will permit us to improve our lives and the country to move forward.

Hilde Heaton