LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Conservative Columnist Can't See Opportunity
-- Editor, Times-Dispatch:
I wonder if Walter Williams is aware that his recent Op/Ed column, "Global Warming Rope-a-Dope" is a litany of distortions? Williams cites a Senate Minority Report of 650 scientists who dispute human-caused climate change -- but does he know that the report was compiled by Marc Morano? Is Williams aware that Morano is anything but objective (and that the same can be said of many of the industry-paid scientists Morano cites)?Morano's career includes a long stint as Rush Limbaugh's producer, and he was midwife to one of the nastiest and most biased political attacks in our history -- the Swift Boat ads of 2004. Morano is a political operative whose job is to promote his, or his employer's, viewpoint. Who might be his employer in this case? James Inhofe, senator from the great state of ExxonMobil.
For a moment, let's pretend that Morano and Williams are right and climate change is not human-caused. Regardless, we still need to move away from rapidly depleting fossil fuels to renewables to secure our nation's place in the world. The more fossil fuels we use, especially oil, the more the petro-dictators of Saudi Arabia et al. grow stronger and richer.
We are currently fighting a war against the very forces that we enrich with our energy money; I'd rather my nation-building money build my nation.
Finally, there are huge opportunities in the renewable energy market that American ingenuity can exploit so that we are once again leading the world's innovation curve. Williams is so conservative that he can't see opportunity when it's right in front of his nose.
Tricia Dunlap. Chester.
Responsibility Is Also Found in the Dictionary
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
Amarillo Uasai's letter, "U.S. Immigrants Deserve Respect" implies that all immigrants, legal and illegal, are entitled to respect and anyone who doesn't know the meaning of the word "respect" should consult a dictionary.I am in full agreement that all individuals are entitled to a certain amount of respect as human beings. Those same individuals have a responsibility to abide by the laws of the country in which they live. The word "responsibility" also appears in the dictionary.
Jimmy Adams. Richmond.
Chesterfield Schools Should Revisit Budget
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
The Virginia budget shortfall and how it will affect public schools has been a big topic of discussion. As a student in Chesterfield, at Manchester Middle School in Center Based Gifted Program, I am concerned that the quality of education in Chesterfield will be negatively affected.First, there has been talk of layoffs in various parts of the school, from teachers to office staff. If you take away a teacher, the ratio of students to teachers automatically increases. This further reduces the personal attention a student may receive: One-on-one teaching can be very important to a student's education. Second, according to one principal, Chesterfield Public Schools will be looking more carefully at field trips and possibly reducing them. If field trips are taken away, fun, hands-on learning experiences will be lost. Finally, specialty programs in Chesterfield will probably be affected negatively by the budget cuts. Most likely they will not receive the current amount of funding, because the school system will have to provide for the general education purposes first.
Chesterfield schools should make many adjustments in how they budget their expenses. First, they should get rid of the expensive Scantrons and start utilizing the sought-after computers for test-taking. Second, notes and newsletters should be posted on Edline or similar services and printed only when necessary. Finally, the school system should increase its recycling efforts in order to decrease its operation expenses.
Chesterfield's quality of education will suffer if it does not consider making some changes to the proposed budget.
Bruce Ensley Jr. Midlothian.
Despite Uprooted Lives, Bay Is Still Polluted
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
In the late 1970s, as superintendent of the Virginia State Farm in Goochland and Powhatan, I was ordered to remove the cattle from all pastures that drained into the James River and remove the hogs from access to creeks that drained into the river. The cattle did not seem to mind the move; however, the hogs were another matter.I was faced with a herd of disgruntled swine. None of the older boars and sows would speak to me during my tenure as head of farms. When I approached one of the hog lots, the group would get up and start moving about aimlessly and grunting a lot -- a sign of displeasure in hog circles.
The state's order was followed by an order from the Health Department that we could no longer feed the hogs the cooked "slop" from the kitchens. The environment police disturbed the not-unpleasant life of the hogs, and made me feel unwanted by the hog population and some of the unhappy inmates.
And, in 2008, the poor Chesapeake Bay was still polluted.
R.M. Oliver. Richmond.
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
Amen Grant. The other thing these liberals fail to consider is that many of the foreign countries that are exploiting their own resources are not subject to the heavy environmental regulations as companies in the US are. They don’t have any problem forcing us to buy these “dirty” fuels all the while preventing us from utilizing our own resources obtained through environmentally conscious practices. They are in essence condoning the contamination of the environment by these foreign companies while trying to appear “environmentally friendly.“ It is either the height of ignorance or hypocrisy, or part of an agenda designed to weaken America by keeping us dependent upon foreign energy resources.
Tricia Dunlap’s letter entitled, “Conservative Columnist Can’t See Opportunity” is proof positive that Liberal Derangement Syndrome (LDS) not only exists but is currently spreading at an alarming rate. Instead of attacking the letter on its merits and attempting to persuade readers that global warming is real, Ms. Dunlap launches a personal attack on the author of the report, because anyone looking squarely at the facts knows global warming is a hoax. It is my hope to prove that the rest of her letter is as ludicrous as the notion of global warming.
Ms. Dunlap accusation that we “need to move away from rapidly depleting fossil fuels,” is pure fiction. Fossil fuels are not being depleted at a rapid rate, instead politicians and the environmental lobby are not allowing companies to explore and develop these fields. Look no further than the discovery of the Marcus Shale field in Pennsylvania or the Tupi oil field and Jupiter natural gas fields in Brazil for evidence of the discovery of natural gas. It is worth noting that Brazil is actively developing these fields while Pennsylvania’s sits untouched. As natural global warming continues look for more discoveries of oil fields near the north pole.
No LDS letter would be complete without an attack on Exxon Mobil, and here Ms. Dunlap does not miss the boat. It is worth mentioning that Exxon Mobil is one of the highest tax payers in the county. Instead of throwing money at questionable renewables and government feel good programs, let’s give tax breaks and allow for the development of the resources we already have.
Post a Comment(Requires free registration)
- Please avoid offensive, vulgar, or hateful language.
- Respect others.
- Use the "Flag Comment" link when necessary.
- See the Terms and Conditions for details.
Advertisement