Afghanistan, socialism, clean energy, Pasco School Board and other Herald letters.

We need to help Afghani children

Politics is the art of the possible. Millions of Afghani people, mostly children, are at risk of starvation this winter. This seems to be, politically, entirely possible to prevent; no Americans in their right mind could be for the death of children. Reputable organizations like the World Food Program have the knowledge and connections to reach the most vulnerable in Afghanistan without aid money falling into Taliban hands.

So why are children already dying of malnutrition? I think the answer is lack of political will. Politicians have not heard enough from their constituents on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Many of the politicians still care deeply, and will push for foreign aid despite the perceived public indifference, but imagine how much more would be possible if we all let our representatives know we care.

It’s imperative we call our representatives, Congressman Dan Newhouse, Sen. (Patty) Murray and Sen. (Maria) Cantwell, and let them know that we fully support them doing all that’s possible to save the children of Afghanistan.

Marjolein Oostrom, Richland

Socialist countries doing rather well

Which is better for us, socialism or capitalism? The Republicans say that socialist programs would put us in a bad place, just like Venezuela. Venezuela is not a socialist government, it’s more like a dictatorship. If you want examples of freely elected socialist governments, look to Denmark, Finland, Norway and Ireland.

They aren’t doing too badly. They have an up-to-date infrastructure (unlike us), everyone has access to healthcare, paid family leave and a topnotch education system. The downside for living there is that they do pay a lot in taxes, but everyone pays the taxes.

We suffer from the brutal side of Capitalism. Our infrastructure is in tatters. Many of us can’t afford healthcare, and we pay the highest prices in the world for medicines. Let us not forget about the housing bust of 2008 that destroyed not only millions of jobs but thousands of pension programs as well. Oh, I forgot we don’t have pension programs anymore.

Do not worry about our politicians passing any sort of socialist programs. There are over 12,500 registered lobbyists in Washington who are dedicated to keeping things just the way they are. The only time politicians listen to us is on election day.

Don Sebelien, Pasco

Newhouse: Why’s GOP deficit fine?

According to Rep. Dan Newhouse’s last email, he voted against the American Rescue Plan and the Build Back Better Plan. He said he was “deeply disappointed in my Democratic colleagues for pushing through this partisan package.” The ARP brought Richland $7.6 million, Kennewick $17.01 million, and Pasco $18.4 million. It will bring millions to agriculture and nutrition programs and small business assistance. The BBBP will do even more for us regular folks.

One of the reasons Rep. Newhouse says he voted against the bill was that it would explode the deficit. Rep. Newhouse voted for President Trump’s signature achievement, The Tax Cut Bill of 2017. This bill increased the deficit by $1.5 trillion or $150 billion per year. The BBBP will raise the deficit $367 billion or $3.67 billion per year, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Rep. Newhouse says that the deficit will cost each taxpayer $230,000, the Treasury says $86,842 per person. He states “Speaker Pelosi and other Democratic leaders might have $230,000 just lying around, but most people — the vast majority of the people I represent — don’t.” Rep. Newhouse likes to think he is just one of us. His net worth is reported at $13.8 million (Wikipedia). Who does he represent?

Bud Higgins, Kennewick

Clean energy deserves support

In response to the passage of President Biden’s infrastructure bill, there has been much discussion in the local media about what the bill will and will not do. One highlight so far has been the clean energy provisions that were removed from the bill before it passed. While disappointing to those of us who support the climate and economic benefits of clean energy industry, it strikes me that we here in the Tri-Cities don’t need to rely on the federal government to move clean energy projects forward.

With our growing population and vibrant economy, we need to secure our growing energy needs, given how close we came to rolling blackouts in summer and winter weather events recently. While I welcome the X-Energy nuclear reactor planned in our region, I recognize that it won’t be built soon enough to provide the much-needed power in the short term and that is why I fully support the additional wind and solar capacity with the Horse Heaven Clean Energy Center that is currently being considered. We need all the tools in the toolbox to transition into a low-carbon economy in a way that respects human rights and ensures a livable planet.

Cigdem Capan, Richland

Outrage over Pasco school candidate

By all means, let’s condone the installation of a convicted abuser to the Pasco School board. That is the shining example of an ethical and moral public official we want to set for our community, students, families and school employees. Especially one who espouses service using facts, ethics, principles and morals. I, for one, am outraged. This is a bridge too far.

Jane Carlson, Richland

Don’t be so fast on Greenland ice loss

The Oxford Dictionary defines misinformation as “false or inaccurate information, especially that which is deliberately intended to deceive.” The media abounds with misinformation about climate change-related topics. A recent example is Thanksgiving Day’s Herald article, “Greenland saw record ice loss over the last year.”

The article states, “For the first time in its history, rain fell at its summit.” This is false. A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory report from 1975 documents two earlier instances of rainfall in the summit area, in 1933 and 1950. (See https://erdc-library.erdc.dren.mil/jspui/bitstream/11681/11728/1/SR-216.pdf.)

The article also states, “Greenland lost a net total of 166 gigatons of ice from September 2020 through August 2021.” Although this estimate appears correct, the statement lacks any context and is therefore extremely deceptive. Annual loss of that mass, the mass of 166 cubic kilometers of ice, equates to about 0.006% of Greenland’s total ice mass of about 2.6 million gigatons. This hardly indicates we are experiencing a “hair on fire” catastrophic melt-out of the glacier as is implied. (See https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1386a/pdf/pp1386a-2-web.pdf, p. A79.)

The article also fails to indicate that annual ice loss has been on a decreasing trend over the last five years.

Richard Engelmann, Richland

Time to stop being such contrarians

When did we stop shaming or shunning leaders or citizens who failed to fulfill their civic responsibilities? Or why did we get rid of stocks?

Or for those who are so damn proud in their refusal to get vaccinated, why not have them wear a crimson U on their foreheads or on an armband?

Of course that won’t happen now, because we don’t live in one of the quasi-theocratic New England Colonies or in Austria where the unvaccinated are subject to lockdowns.

We live in Washington state where citizens buckle up their seat belts and refrain from using their cell phones while driving.

So stop being contrarians. Please get vaccinated and start wearing face masks so all of us can start enjoying life again.

Boyce Burdick, Richland

Let’s move ahead, not go backward

Remember the word SMOG? Remember ozone hole above Antarctica? Remember the Dust Bowl in Nebraska And Kansas? Smart people (not environmentalists) overcame these problems!! Environmentalists want to go backward. Smart scientists move forward and take care of the situations as they arrive. Let’s move forward!

Rudy Tomich. West Richland