When will Republicans take serious steps to mitigate climate change? | Letters to the Editor
Only getting hotter
“Tuesday set an unofficial record for the hottest day on Earth,” (sacbee.com, July 4)
July 4 recorded the hottest global average temperature since record keeping began. The burning of fossil fuels leads to the greenhouse gas emissions largely responsible for this rise in global temperature.
Putting a price on the carbon content of oil, coal and natural gas is one widely acknowledged powerful solution. A bill introduced in the current Congress, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, would put an effective price on carbon. To date, not a single House Republican has agreed to co-sponsor this bill.
How hot does it have to get before Republican members of Congress feel the heat and pass this bill?
Harold Ferber
Elk Grove
Beyond dire
“Tuesday set an unofficial record for the hottest day on Earth,” (sacbee.com, July 4)
Thank you to The Bee for continuing to publish articles informing us just how dire the situation is for all of us on this planet.
What should we do about it? Bury our heads in the sand and weep? Say the problem is way too big and complex and our hands tied? Fossil fuel industries are continuing to spew greenhouse gas emissions with no end in sight, and paid lobbyists spend huge dollars influencing legislation in our country.
We can, in this country, besiege our local congressional representatives to pass a carbon pricing bill that forces emitters to pay for their emissions, thereby forcing the industry to put in place reductions. The need is beyond dire.
Billie Hamilton
Sacramento
Opinion
Meaningful change
“California lawmakers introduce bill to create new entity to handle Sacramento homelessness,” (sacbee.com, June 11)
Finding a safe, warm place for the homeless will certainly help them. But those sleeping on the street are a small part of the problem. Most unhoused folks are out of sight — sleeping in a car or bunking with friends or relatives. Surveys tell us that most unhoused people simply cannot afford housing. The real root of the problem is an economy which fails to distribute its vast wealth rationally, effectively or fairly.
Of many causative factors, government policy and tax structure is the greatest. Many years of unbalanced legislation and tax reform has put the economy’s recent gains into the pockets of the very wealthy. Just reversing this policy so that those gains are shared reasonably and responsibly would take a giant step in the right direction. Sweeping the homeless out of sight is just a soiled band-aid for a deep-festering wound.
Bill Richmond
Carmichael
Incompetence
“Measure O does little to solve homelessness in Sacramento,” (sacbee.com, July 7)
To put it lightly, Measure O demonstrates the total ineffectiveness of Sacramento’s city government. The mayor sells it as a significant inroad into our homelessness crisis, but it turns out to be a sham. Meanwhile, seven city council members uncritically go along with the mayor, and City Manager Howard Chan seems to want to blame the voters for not understanding the measure.
It seems our city government is the equivalent of the 1962 Mets, the worst team in Major League Baseball history, of whom the Mets’ Manager, Casey Stengel, said, “Can’t anybody here play this game?”
Brian Powers
Sacramento
Animal welfare
“Young rider dies after he’s thrown off bull at rodeo event, NC officials say. ‘Tragic’,” (sacbee.com, Jan. 30)
California Education Code 60042 mandates that K-12 schools shall teach “humane education and kindness to animals.” Meanwhile, all animal welfare organizations condemn rodeos for their inherent cruelty toward animals.
How should we respond to the growing number of junior rodeos (kids in grades K-12) throughout California, especially during the summer months? Junior rodeos feature many blatantly cruel events that are dangerous for kids and animals alike, including mutton busting, calf and steer riding, calf roping, goat tying, pig scrambles and more.
These events send a terrible message to impressionable young children about the humane and proper treatment of animals. Junior rodeos need to end.
Eric Mills
Oakland
History lesson
“Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 16-22,” (sacbee.com, July 10)
In ABC’s new hit reality series, “Claim to Fame,” 12 contestants, all of whom are the relatives of different famous celebrities, try to figure out which famous person their competitors are related to.
Our nation’s celebrity mania are sure signs that we are leaving democracy behind and galloping head-first toward autocracy. “Claim to Fame” acts like a minor league monarchy curriculum, carving out a cultural path to titled nobility, where relatives of the king get to be in the eternal spotlight.
Our ancestors revolted to stop America from becoming a monarchy. Meanwhile, Hollywood producers and elected representatives are rushing to embrace celebrities with open arms.
Kimball Shinkoskey
Woods Cross, Utah
