Virginia shootings should pull politicians together

I was a bit unnerved by the rhetoric and platitudes from my government after the shootings June 14 in Virginia: “An attack on us is an attack on all of us,” said Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

Where was that sentiment after Newtown or Oakland? All I saw was the passing of laws to make guns more accessible.

Mr. Trump: “We are here on Capitol Hill because we love America.”

No, we are all here because we love America — from the man who lives under the overpass to the veteran who was forgotten and the foreigners who seek sanctuary and a better life. From the middle-class working man who is overtaxed to the women who want control of their own bodies and careers to people of color who have held down so long that this generation only sees violence as a way out.

From the wealthy and big business and the lobbyists who finance elections and benefit more than the people who vote to Congress, which hasn’t made a meaningful decision in over eight years.

It hits home now when it is an attack on you.

We all love America but there are so many that Capitol Hill has forgotten. I wasn’t surprised today.

We must change — not in the sense of everyday life but in the way our government governs so it is a government for all the people and not a bipartisan roadblock that stops most Americans from moving forward.

I saw Democrats and Republicans pray together. I hope you can learn to govern together. If not, I think there may be more days like this. — Ed Michalski, Middletown