This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
With the upcoming vote on Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch you have the opportunity to help bring the country together or drive deeper the wedge that divides us. The Supreme Court makes decisions that affect the entire country and because of that, those who sit on the highest court in the U.S. should be someone who represents all citizens, not only those on the far right or business interests. It appears that Gorsuch does not currently have the 60 votes needed to bring debate to an end.
If a nominee is not able to get these 60 votes, clearly they do not represent everyone. If you should then support the "nuclear option" to change the rules, Gorsuch will be confirmed. However, that decision will come with a price. That price might be fewer votes or the loss of an election, but the higher cost will be a more divided nation. To quote a great president, Abraham Lincoln, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." The more divided we become, the more our society resembles that of Lincoln's and the result will inevitably be the same. Please do not support the "nuclear option."
Robert C. Woldberg
Centerville