Dear President Biden …
Please reverse course and approve the Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline would deliver 840,000 barrels of oil from our friends and neighbors to the north. They, the Canadians, share many of the same values as we Americans have. Presently we are getting oil from OPEC, Venezuela and Russia. Not only do these countries not share our values, but they are also our adversaries.
As you know you are viewed by most Americans as a demented dufus beholding to your backers like the teachers’ unions, homosexuals, Black Lives Matter, Antifa, Marxists/Leninists, socialists and communists and, of course, environmental whackos.
Reversing course and approving the Keystone XL pipeline would let the hard-working Americans, those who sign checks on the front and not on the back, that you are indeed the president of the United States and not simply the president of your backers.
Ronald H. Landmann
Carson City
Slowing carbon dioxide pollution
I read a Nevada Appeal Letter to the Editor on Nov. 27 titled “Farmer wrong on climate.” It was written by Jon Nowlin in response to Guy Farmer’s op-ed: Climate Hypocrisy in Glasgow. I agree with Jon’s assessment of Farmer’s opinion about the recent Climate Summit. However, relative to climate change, Farmer is ignoring all the science, data, and observations that strongly indicate burning of fossil fuels has increased the carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution in our atmosphere to dangerous levels.
Never… Never in the past 800,000 years has the level of atmospheric CO2 exceeded 300 parts per million (ppm). 350 ppm was breached around 1988; now we are more than 415 ppm. We need to curtail the excessive CO2 pollution! There is a way: put a price on that pollution. Per ton, charge the fossil fuel producers an annually increasing fee based upon the polluting potential of their products. This will reduce the atmospheric CO2 levels 50% by 2030 and net zero by 2050.
To make this palatable to Americans, rebate those fees back monthly! This concept is known as Carbon Fee and Dividend (CFD), a.k.a. Carbon Pricing. It is being debated in Congress as part of the budget reconciliation.
This concept: Does NOT grow government; is a market-based solution; is revenue-neutral (no new taxes!); and has a carbon border adjustment that encourages trading nations to also employ carbon pricing.
Call Sen. Cortez Masto, Sen. Rosen, and Rep. Amodei. Ask them to include carbon pricing in the budget reconciliation. Go to CCLUSA.org/action
Rob Bastien
Carson City Chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby
China should be held responsible
China is bent on taking over the whole world. They have built roads, bridges, railways, and ports in several African countries. They have even gone into the Balkans of Europe. Montenegro contracted with China to build a modern 100-mile expressway. Only 25 miles have ever been completed and the country is now in debt to the Chinese for $1 billion. The road will never be completed.
And then, there is the COVID crisis which has killed more than 5 million people worldwide. The World Health Organization has been totally useless in this crisis. Following the delta strain, we now have to deal with the omicron strain. The country must be held accountable for this.
The "responsible nations" of the world, including Vladimir Putin's Russia, should form a coalition to boycott Chinese exports, refuse to export to them, refuse landing rights for their airliners, as well as refusing their ships to dock. None of this will happen, of course, because no-one has the guts. The mouth-breather jocks of the NBA would have had the hissy-fit to end all hissy-fits!
Meanwhile in Washington, Democratic leadership is bent on driving the country into bankruptcy.
John Frink
Carson City
Give love for the holidays
It is no doubt that the past two years have been… well since I cannot use a harsher word for it… bad. As we approach another holiday it is hard to believe there was a time before “Did you remember your mask?” were just words used on Halloween night.
However, with it being safe for a lot of us to go to various events this year feels a lot more like normal than last year. This is something that is worth celebrating.
If these last two years have taught us anything it is that love is what matters most. Love for one another, love for the community and love for the world at large. Therefore, in the New Year my “resolution” is to love more. I hope if you are reading this you will join me in giving love. A gift we could all use.
Caleb Schadeck
Carson City
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