Printed letters, June 6, 2012

By Staff
Tuesday, June 5, 2012

So now the knee-jerk, shoot-from-the-hip environmentalists are changing directions 180 degrees. First, the all-caring, all-knowing Sierra Club was backing natural gas, the cleanest-burning, least-polluting, most convenient, cheapest and most available form of energy we use. That was last month.

Now,  it is going against natural gas. I wonder how many of them are happy to turn up the thermostat on a cold winter morning and have the heat come up, with no further effort on their part?

Additionally, environmentalists fought against and were successful in defeating a bill in the Colorado Legislature, HB 1160, that would have legitimized and promoted use of methane from coal mines to generate power. Methane is 21 times more potent as a “greenhouse gas” than carbon dioxide. This one thing would have done more for Colorado’s environment than all the big wind and solar power now in place.

Both of these actions seem mysterious — until you consider that use of clean, cheap, reliable, natural gas might supplant wind and solar power. The environmentalists might lose a little influence. Can’t let that happen.

Let’s face facts. The Sierra Club is not interested in the environment per se; it is a money-raising vehicle to support the posh lifestyles of the never-work, never-intend-to-work “executives” of the organization. The environmentalist zealots have not contributed one miniscule thing to our quality of life, our comfort or our freedom of movement.

Instead, they advocate a Spartan lifestyle with little or no amenities or comforts we enjoy today as the result of engineers, innovations and abundant, reasonably priced energy — not to mention the tremendous impetus derived from freedom.

By the artificially high price of fuel, they are restricting our freedom of movement and our free choice of action.

J.N. BURKHALTER

Grand Junction

Boost Wall Street’s taxes to cover Americans’ losses

Wall Street is still bewildered and nervous about JPMorganChase’s $2 billion loss announced last month. JPMorganChase is considered America’s largest bank. It is also a multi-national banking organization among other things. So, its reckless and creative financial transactions came back to bite it, big time.

Remember, in February of 2011 this was the same bank that was executing home foreclosures on veterans and their families while they were overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq. Congress held a few hearings and then let the bankers off with a mild scolding.

JPMorganChase apparently broke the law. It overcharged 4,500 members of the U.S. military on their home mortgages. It foreclosed on 18 service member mortgages. It was just getting started when a few military families complained. No one went to jail.

So, Congress allows Wall Street to abuse the financial security of the American people whenever it wants. Oh, I’m sorry. If Congress sent some Wall Street executives to jail, then Congress would probably be cut off from their insider trading.

The recent actions by JPMorganChase prove that there is little or no regulation of Wall Street. The Securities Exchange Commission is worthless. Wall Street will just laugh at the Volcker Rule.

Here is my creative financing: Tax Wall Street at 50 percent. That money goes into a special fund that will pay dividends back to all of the Americans who lost money in their 401(k)s. Get your 401(k) money out now while you can. 

RANDY FRICKE

New Castle

 

U.S. hasn’t gained respect or strength under Obama

It would be laughable if it weren’t so ridiculous and untrue. I’m referring to The Daily Sentinel’s recent front-page piece headlined, “Obama to cadets: U.S. is stronger and respected.”

How much stronger and respected are we when Obama announces exactly when we will quit fighting and withdraw from Afghanistan? I’m no military scholar, but I do read military history. I don’t recall that strategy ever working when the issue was still being contested.

Are we stronger and more respected when we release captured Afghan Taliban fighters, with the loss of U.S. lives and treasure, if they promise to play nice in the future? A naive President Obama thinks so, as that is what he is doing. One would think the recidivism rate among al-Qaida fighters would caution a rational individual against releasing any of these enemies.

Can we be stronger and respected when we negotiate with the Russians on nuclear arms and missile defense with Obama telling the Russian president, “Wait until after the election, I’ll have more flexibility then”? Our negotiations with the Russians on nuclear arms have always been adversarial — that is until now, when a feckless Obama offers to “give away the farm.” When negotiating with the Russians, President Reagan said, “trust, but verify.” Now Obama practices “trust and give away.”

Four years ago, it should have been plainly evident to everyone that candidate Barack Obama wasn’t up to the task of being president. After all, how many presidential candidates besides Obama have said that they had been in all 57 states? In the last three years, he has continually proved that he is way in over his head, as he seems to have learned nothing while on the job.

The United States stronger and respected? Only in Obama’s dreams! 

RICK L. COLEMAN

Grand Junction