WA Gov. Inslee, the war in Ukraine, lifting the mask mandate and other Herald letters
Inslee sounds like ‘30s rainmaker
In a recent visit, Governor Inslee indicated his support for wind turbines. He says they help stop carbon pollution, smoky summers, children choking with asthma, warmer river temperatures killing salmon. They will improve our quality of life. Who doesn’t want that?
So, when does all of this happen? If we Install wind turbines in 2023, maybe in 2033? Well, no. In 2043? No. In 2053? No. in 2063? No again, because we (in U.S.) put out less than 14% of this carbon pollution relative to the rest of the world. The installed wind turbines will be worn out and retired before any of the governor’s quality of life benefits kick in, if ever.
Maybe the wind turbine electricity will be cheaper than what we now pay? Well, no. Germany killed their nuclear plants and installed a lot of wind turbines and solar panels. They now pay four times (34 cents/kWh) what we pay for electricity here in Benton County (7.5 cents/kWh). Who needs that? Much like the rainmakers did in Oklahoma in the 1930s, we have people from outside Benton County (including our governor) selling us a mythical solution to our bad weather (drought, wildfires and occasional hot summer days) while peppering the hills with windmills to send electricity to California.
Craig Brown, Richland
Tri-Cities dumped Inslee long ago
In case anyone’s forgotten, the Tri-Cities voters fired Inslee after one congressional term many years ago because he lied to the voters and wasn’t acting for the citizens’ best interests. Nothing with him has changed. The community rejected the proposed new wind farm here, and Inslee is pushing for it. About 80% of comments at a Benton County town hall in Kennewick in March 2021 opposed the Horse Heaven Wind Farm. Here’s the best part: the project would bring jobs — most of them in construction — and provide electricity from clean energy, although the electricity would most likely be used in Western Washington or possibly California. I’m all for new jobs and clean energy but NIMBY as 80% of the population stated. Put the wind farm in Olympia. Between Inslee and some other elected officials, there should be plenty of wind to operate the windmills.
Dan Deckert, Benton City
Why Ukraine should matter
First in Europe in proven recoverable reserves of uranium ores.
Second place in Europe and 10th place in the world in terms of titanium ore reserves.
Second place in the world in terms of explored reserves of manganese ores (2.3 billion tons, or 12% of the world’s reserves).
Second largest iron ore reserves in the world (30 billion tons).
Second place in Europe in terms of mercury ore reserves.
Seventh place in the world in coal reserves (33.9 billion tons).
Ukraine is an agricultural country:
First in Europe in terms of arable land area.
Third place in the world by the area of black soil (25% of world’s volume).
Second place in the world in barley production and fourth place in barley exports.
Third largest producer and fourth largest exporter of corn in the world.
Fourth largest producer of potatoes in the world.
Fifth place in the world in bee production (75,000 tons).
Eighth place in the world in wheat exports.
Ukraine is an industrialized country.
Third largest iron exporter in the world.
Fourth largest exporter of turbines for nuclear power plants in the world.
Source:
Ukrainian Congress Committee of America Ukrainian World Congress
Don Clarke, Waitsburg
Dark money hides disinformation
Many of the ultra-wealthy have used disinformation and outright lies in service to their own self-interest and power, as meticulously reported in Dark Money (Jane Mayer). This torrent of deception is largely funded by tax avoidance “philanthropy,” which is secretly channeled into a maze of front groups with names that belie their true purpose. These groups push psychologically manipulative messaging that distorts the national dialogue in favor of their agenda and underpins much of our current vitriolic division and political dysfunction.
Much of this torrent is funded by fossil fuel interests (e.g., Koch brothers). One key goal is casting aspersions on climate science and scientists that are raising the alarm about global warming. They have created a more dysfunctional political process and planted false doubts about the science in the public mind to stymie any progress toward solutions. Meanwhile, they happily keep their tax breaks/subsidies, and keep on burning and profiting, leaving us as losers.
Too often media outlets simply report the news but fail to scrutinize and challenge what is false and deceptive. As consumers of news and citizens in a democracy, we need to look behind the subterfuge if we are to reclaim our democracy and solve our problems.
Dennis D. Finn, Pasco
Writer didn’t like editor’s note
I was a bit surprised to see that the Herald’s editors chose to comment on my Feb. 10 letter which detailed the numerous failings of President Biden, one of which was the dispensing of medical care based on race. I really didn’t think that this was controversial – such a policy is clearly wrong. But the Herald had to do a deep dive into the CDC’s guidance to justify bad policy. Normally, if there is a race-based factor in medical care, such as sickle cell anemia, doctors would single out that race for enhanced care, not denying them care. But in this case, this didn’t happen; if you weren’t the correct race, you were denied care. Period. This should be appalling to anyone, especially Blacks. Imagine if Blacks were identified as the race less susceptible to a particular disease and we denied Blacks care for that disease. What do you think the reaction would be? It would be an immediate and never-ending condemnation of the policy as being racist; you would not be able to view a mainstream newscast that didn’t expound on this travesty. The denial of medical care based on race is, plain and simple, wrong!
Tom Seim, Richland
Thank heavens we still have energy
Thank God that ex-KGB thug, Russian President Vladimir Putin, is threatening Europe now while the United States still produces oil and gas! Just think if he had simply waited until U.S. President Joe Biden and his progressive/green guidance counselors had shamed us away from fossil fuels and had us entirely dependent on electric vehicles. This is his stated goal by the year 2035! I guess that in Joe’s Utopian dream world, jets, armored vehicles and tanks won’t be needed and thus won’t need refueling? The world will be all cozy by then.
It is absolutely brilliant of Joe to stymie domestic oil exploration, production and piping (think Keystone Pipeline), while demanding that Arab countries and Russia supply the world with $100. per barrel oil, instead. Out of sight, out of mind? That is a progressive trademark. Effectively, President Joe is helping fund Putin’s takeover of the ‘formerly Democratic’ country, Ukraine! This is a pretty pathetic scenario in my humble opinion.
While Joe is focused on handing out trillions of taxpayer dollars on candy-for-votes, he slashes our defense budget. I guess every president is free to choose their priorities? I can hardly wait for mid-term elections to see if middle-America is ready to get our country back on track. It is amazing how many elected ‘losers’ need to go bye, bye!
Bruce LePage, Pasco
Making masks optional a concern
An issue of concern that has arisen to me is the lifting of the mask mandate. The people of Washington are no longer required to wear masks which will undoubtedly raise the rate at which COVID will spread and get more and more people sick. I was wondering how would this affect the people of the Tri-Cities and whether this spike in infections could eventually cause another lockdown.
Rahul Parulkar, Kennewick