Published: July 09, 2009 07:10 pm      

LETTERS: July 10, 2009

Reader: Dems are cleaning house



In a recent letter published in The Tribune, titled “Democrats had their chance,” the local Republican chairman stated that he “put off attacking Democrats so far — to give them a chance to provide the kinds of ‘change’ you all hoped they would.” He then launches into an attack on the administration, but saves his harshest criticism for Congressmen Baron Hill, Andre Carson and “many other lock-stepped Democrats [who] have voted to double your utility bills in Indiana by passing President Barack Obama’s legislation, commonly referred to as cap and trade.”

In 2008, along with a majority of Hoosiers, I voted for change. The last administration left this country with a legacy of runaway greed, no regulation, more millions of our citizens without health care, a war that was fought on credit and entered into on false pretenses and an even more endangered environment.

We had to endure an energy policy written by the vice president, lobbyists and executives of energy corporations. For the first six years, this misconduct was rubber-stamped by a Republican Congress who, for the most part, joined the former president in treating the concept of global warming as “foolishness.”

With a new president and a Democratic Congress, we are beginning to see some of the change come about. As most folks know, change is seldom easy and usually involves some degree of sacrifice. We are in a period of necessarily high government spending to avoid facing ruin, which would have caused a widespread collapse approaching that of the Great Depression.

The previous administration ignored scientific thought and global warming, saying it needs more study. Meanwhile, polluters continued spewing more tons of poisons into our atmosphere.

In an attempt to stem the damage to our environment, the House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act, commonly known as cap and trade, and it is now awaiting action by the Senate.

The act provides a method whereby incentives are available for achieving reductions in the generation and emission of pollutants — in this case carbon — into the atmosphere and those who exceed the limits must purchase credits from those who pollute less. It also encourages exploration of alternative energy sources and can lead to future employment in building a clean energy infrastructure.

There is precedent for this concept. During the 1990s, the Acid Raid Trading Program, under the Clean Air Act, delivered huge benefits by a similar cap and trade process. In a relatively short time, the act achieved 100 percent compliance and drastically reduced sulfur dioxide emissions, without wreaking havoc on family budgets.

The head of Duke Energy was quoted in the Courier-Journal: “Investment in new technologies and the infrastructure needed for a low-carbon economy are effective ways to generate the jobs and economic growth the U.S. needs to address the current economic crisis. We must position the U.S. to succeed in the new low-carbon, global economy, and this is the best way to accomplish that.”

The previous writer, who refers to the current act as “cap and punish,” supports his argument with old financial data collected before the bill was amended and passed in its final House version. He uses faulty facts and scare tactics such as implying the legislation “will hurt Indiana and double your utility bills.” A Republican radio spot states that “once again, Democrats are forcing an extreme agenda of more spending, more taxes and fewer jobs.”

Do these sorts of tactics remind anyone of “weapons of mass destruction” or “we don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom-shaped cloud”?

I am proud that our congressman, Baron Hill, voted with the majority to pass the amended bill. Hill worked to remove many of the extreme measures from the bill and voted to help protect our planet and the health of future generations of Americans. He has the intestinal fortitude and the foresight to fight for the well-being of the citizens of Indiana’s 9th Congressional District.

In response to the Republican chairman, I can only say, it is the Democrats’ chance and we are cleaning house.

— John Wilcox, Floyd County Democratic chairman





Reader wonders if city street department is just a myth



Is the New Albany Street Department just a myth? Has New Albany forgotten what asphalt is for?

Driving on Spring Street, especially from Clarksville, is a torture test for a vehicle. Trying to avoid the innumerable potholes places one at risk of being stopped by the police for suspicion of driving while impaired. Drainage is so poor that the right lane becomes all but impassable during even a moderate rain.

Any utility work that involves excavating part of the roadway results in leaving a 2- or 3-inch-deep trench that remains unpaved for weeks. There are currently two such places on Spring Street heading east out of town. Could this be the city’s way of helping local tire dealers sell more tires and front-end alignments?

The section of Daisy Lane from Coyle Drive to Green Valley Road has remained partially paved since Daisy Lane was reopened last fall. Apparently the mythical street department forgot about this section of roadway. Coyle Drive needs to be restriped since there is no visible striping and cars often drive on the wrong side of the road, especially through the S curve just before State Street.

A short section of State Street was repaved last year, giving a brief respite from the otherwise poor road conditions which rival Spring Street. Unfortunately, the striping on this new pavement has all but disappeared, leaving drivers to guess where the center line is. During even moderate rainfall, the right lane of State Street going south becomes a water hazard because of poor drainage.

The stop sign at Coyle Drive and State Street has been missing for months. A traffic signal needs to be installed at this intersection, with a left turn light for access to Coyle Drive off State Street. A check of the number of accident reports at this intersection should easily justify a traffic light.

The conditions of Spring Street and State Street remind me of the poor street maintenance experienced in Terre Haute during the 1970s when I attended Indiana State University.

— Edwin Hurt, Clarksville