Confusing election-year strategy

It was disappointing to watch Senate Republicans go along with Senate Democrats with only a two month continuation of the 2 percentage-point cut in payroll taxes. They should have followed Speaker John Boehner's lead and endorsed the tax cut for the full year. After little debate and a quick vote, the Senate ran back home to be with their families during the holidays. While deployed military members, firefighters, policemen, hospital workers and others work through the holidays to benefit our society, arrogant senators have abandoned their post.

They say Americans have given Congress an 11 percent approval rating; to paraphrase a teacher friend of mine: Congress has earned it.

It is obvious that Republican senators, Democrat senators, Democrat representatives and President Barack Obama want to raise taxes on 160 million working Americans effective March 1. What a confusing political strategy in an election year.

LARRY BILL, Jackson