During his press conference on Jan. 14, the president said that failing to raise the debt ceiling would cause the stoppage of payments to government contractors, members of the military, and Social Security.

A friend wondered why the president did not mention alternate possibilities: Stop payments to the United Nations and countries like Egypt and Libya, and stop all payments to all members of Congress, the president and the vice president, and the multitude of czars.

I wondered why he didn't threaten to stop payments to all federal civil service workers, other than the (I think) non-unionized air traffic controllers.

Joseph O'Malley

Fredericksburg