Published: September 24, 2009 04:20 pm      

Letters - Friday, Sept. 25, 2009

State can be leader

in renewable energy

The people’s continued support of the energy and climate bill passed in June by the U.S. House of Representatives will position Indiana well for the future.

Many people don’t read the fine print of TV ads that say Indiana will lose jobs from this legislation. These ads are financed by big business and power companies who don’t want to change. Their only interest is to provide profits to shareholders.

These groups use fear tactics to convince people this is bad for Indiana and America and try and snuff out new clean energy competition. If we let them, Indiana’s huge coal and electric lobby will drown out the voices of fledgling new energy businesses.

Small Indiana companies already build new batteries to go into the next generation of electric cars and wind farms. Companies like Haynes in Kokomo provide alloys for solar, others in Anderson develop batteries. Given the chance, these companies can grow these 21st century jobs – making us less reliant on foreign oil and polluting coal. Without your support, they can’t compete with the money mega-businesses spend to keep the status quo.

Anyone can produce solar or wind power. I have purchased solar cells to build a panel that will power an outbuilding. Others around me are putting up home-sized wind turbines. Change is coming. We must decide to be part of the future or remain stuck in the past and let other states and countries capture the jobs that will develop from renewable energy.

Let Sens. Lugar and Bayh know you support this legislation that will provide our children and grandchildren the jobs of tomorrow.

Avon Waters

Converse

Extremism ignites

uncivilized behavior

I feel the need to respond to Rep. Cantor’s remarks regarding the House’s debate on whether or not to reprimand Rep. Joe Wilson for his outburst during the president’s address to Congress.

Cantor stated that he could not understand why Congress was even having a debate. He argued that a reprimand would not help pass new health care reform, keep America safer or reduce the national deficit.

I must disagree with Rep. Cantor. The behavior demonstrated by Rep. Joe Wilson is the center of the problem that obstructs progress when Congress tries to get anything done. It is this base bantering that makes American citizens distrust Congress’ leadership. Therefore, this behavior should be discouraged.

Unfortunately, the problem does not begin or end with our Congress. It is the extremist views, and the extent to which people will go to voice their side of a debate, that has resulted in uncivilized behavior. I am saddened by the hostile language, demeaning posters, visibility of weapons, and cruel slogans wielded by those who abuse our freedom of speech and freedom to bear arms. Above the fray is a man who employs the philosophy of Mahatma Ghandi to discourage this negative and destructive behavior.

President Barack Obama eagerly forgives those who attack him, strives to find common ground with those who resort to abusive behavior, and is willing to risk his political career and possibly his own safety to help those who can’t fight the system alone. President Barack Obama has demonstrated compassion, class, intelligence, wisdom and patience when others have demonstrated rudeness, cruelty, dishonesty and abuse. I admire Barack Obama. May God bless and protect him. We know what happened to those whose example he follows.

Janet Van der Dussen

Freetown

Move Heck columns

to the Religion page

I get frustrated reading Peter Heck’s columns, which seem primarily focused on him sharing his religious beliefs. While some of his columns are somewhat political, they all seem to serve the purpose of allowing him to preach his religious views. I’d like to see his articles moved to the Religion page or have someone with alternative views given similar space as you give to Peter on the Opinion page.

I certainly respect his right to his views (although he doesn’t seem to grant that other views are respectable) and recognize that some of your subscribers share his views. However, I think there are many subscribers who don’t share his views, and we all deserve a chance to hear alternative views to his.

Fred Kuhlman

Kokomo