LETTER: The alternative universe that is the Beltway

I watched the testimony of the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine during the impeachment hearings. It is striking how disconnected Washington, D.C., is from the rest of us working stiffs.

The testimony had numerous references to the ambassador being “fired.” But we now find out she still works at the State Department and has just been reassigned. To me, “fired” means you have lost your job and are no longer getting a paycheck.

All across this land outside D.C., people get fired every day. Many have trouble paying their mortgage or feeding their kids. This pampered ambassador talks about the mental stress she has “endured.” How about the mental stress of looking into your child’s eyes and not knowing how you are going to feed them this week?

They want us to cry a river of tears and believe that this six-figure diplomat has been horribly mistreated (reports say she actually disparaged her boss, and she still has her job). This person is no martyr. She believes she is entitled to lifetime employment at whatever task she sees fit. I wonder what the guy working at the convenience store at four in the morning thinks of that?

These people on the committee should be ashamed of themselves, as they are spending all of their time on this “dog-and-pony show” instead of working to solve the problems of people with real hardships. We should hold them personally accountable and fire them next November.