Letters: July 5

Letters: July 5

July 5, 2005

Global warming deserves serious consideration America's mayors are the latest voices to join the increasingly noisy and diverse chorus of Americans calling for the United States to address global warming pollution. Their move further highlights Congress' embarrassing refusal to act on the problem.

During their annual conference recently, the bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors unanimously passed a resolution pledging numerous actions to curb global warming pollution in the nation's cities. Perhaps most importantly, the resolution calls on Congress to reduce America's global warming pollution by passing legislation with clear pollution-reduction targets and timelines.

The U.S. Senate will have the opportunity to take its first steps in the coming days, as several global warming proposals may be considered as part of the massive energy bill.

Sens. Bill Frist and Lamar Alexander should support the original McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act (S- 342), which would set the first national cap on global warming pollution. This bill also leaves out controversial subsidies for nuclear power.

EMILY SAUNDERS
Climate and Air Program coordinator
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Knoxville

Elections are time to file complaints I think Phil Bredesen has been making an honest effort to be a good governor. I do think maybe, though, a few remarks would be in order.

The last governor caught a lot of noise about how to raise some more money for the state's operation. In the last year of Don Sundquist's term, the state raised the sales tax from 6 cents to 7 cents on all items except food. It was only a penny, but it turns out it was a 16 percent raise.

One cent is 16 percent of six cents. This turned out to give Bredesen $900 million to spend in his first year of office. You can quiet a lot of beggars with $900 million. State employees have a habit of asking for more money.

My honest opinion is that the average citizen has no idea of the problems facing the governor of Tennessee and that he has even less of those facing the president.

I do not like Iraq. Seemingly Harry Truman did not like North Korea. After 35,000 deaths, Ike bailed him out. Even he thought it time for an end - exit Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

I do not know who started Vietnam. After 54,000 deaths, Nixon finally found a way out.

In both of these cases - I could not see a danger to the United States. But I also know that Presidents Truman and Johnson knew things that I didn't know.

I really believe that, after we elect someone, we should support him. You need not think that I am happy with our government at all times. But I cannot believe that it is any solution to keep complaining.

They have elections. Hope for something good.