Posted: Monday, June 30, 2008 12:00 am
Let oil companies drill for new energy
We would like Congress to get of its collective "buttuskies" and implement a workable energy plan that would bring down fuel prices and guide us to energy independence.
What we have now is a stalemate with most Democrats opposing new drilling and demonizing oil companies. Most Republicans emphasize development of proven domestic sources. Both parties, however, agree that we need to aggressively pursue alternative fuels, more efficient vehicles and conservation.
Let's look at the Democratic approach. A windfall profit tax would raise some revenue. However, when this was tried under President Jimmy Carter's administration, the results were higher prices and lower production. Reducing oil company profits would lower dividends paid to millions of Americans via pension funds, IRAs and other stock portfolios. Also, there would be some job losses.
What Congress should immediately do is prepare a compromise plan. Our known oil and gas resources should be quickly tapped. Concurrently, the contentious oil company issues like subsidies, regulations, price gouging and other real problems should be reviewed and changed as appropriate. The goal would be to encourage companies to cost-effectively produce more oil and gas.
Also, the development of alternatives, more efficient vehicles and conservation should be accelerated.
I think that merely demonstrating that we are implementing a credible energy plan would quickly bring down oil prices. Energy independence would not only help us economically but also is critical to national security.
Let's pressure Congress to act responsibly.
Chuck Lane, Blodgett
Grant a great help to Humane Society
The Heartland Humane Society thanks the Ed Cauduro Advised Charitable Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation for a generous grant of $20,000 to bridge the funding gap created by a neglect and abuse case.
Local law enforcement seized 86 small dogs in April 2007. Several of them were pregnant and required C-sections to deliver their puppies because they were so small stature, for a total of 109 dogs.
Fortunately, we were able to place all dogs in foster care, but the dogs were in legal limbo for over eight months. This funding alleviates the deficit incurred by the administration and medical needs associated with this case.
We are also grateful for Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund for a grant of $5,000 to cover the costs of all animals vaccinated at Heartland Humane Society this past year. Vaccinations are a critical means of keeping animals healthy, especially in a shelter environment.
Andrea Thornberry, Executive director Heartland Humane Society, Corvallis
Bush succeeded for his special interests
Jonathan Last's suggestion that President Bush has been a bad manager is off the mark ("Bush not evil or stupid; just bad manager," June 24). If "good" management is measured by results, then this president has been an exceedingly effective manager.
He has accomplished what his rich and powerful sponsors asked of him. He has successfully overseen the transfer of trillions of dollars from the public treasury and from middle and lower income citizens through:
• Depleting the budget surplus left from year 2000
• Creating a historic deficit of more than $400 billion by 2008
• Handing out tax cuts and bonuses to the wealthiest individuals and richest corporations
• Holding working-class wages at historically low levels
• Cutting funding for education, health, environmental and energy research and
community-level assistance programs
• Transferring an estimated $3 trillion to the military-
industrial-technology sector by planning and leading an attack on a phantom enemy in a once-rich oil country (Which is also leaving in its wake generations of shattered lives and broken families in both countries.)
• Weakening laws and regulations enacted to protect public health and the environment.
Space restrictions do not permit a more complete listing.
Dan Merritt, Philomath
A cold plan behind U.S. mideast policy
In his June 27 letter, "U.S. caught in insane foreign policy loop," Chris Foulke wrote "the crazy people in power and their deluded supporters think Iraq and Afghanistan are working - or serve some valid rationale."
My thoughts used to be that the administration is misguided, but I am now certain they (and perhaps previous administrations) do have a valid purpose: They want the natural gas in Turkmenistan that could flow through an Afghanistan pipeline, and they want to be able to have control over mideast oil. To those ends, they will continue to sacrifice our brave young men and women until they are exposed, or we elect a president who refuses to go along with this disreputable plan.
After all, George Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld and the rest do not have any children serving in the military, so why should they care about the deaths and disabilities they are causing?
My thinking that they were misguided changed after reading "Blowback," by Chalmers Johnson, an emeritus professor from UCLA and by watching a Corvallis library video called "Hijacking Catastrophe." Johnson wrote Blowback before 9/11, but the book is prescient in its recognition that forces in the world are going to pay back the United States for some of the assassinations and other heinous policies pursued by our government in the 20th century. These so-called leaders of our country are not stupid. They are wealthy and lead privileged lives. They did not get there by being stupid but rather by manipulating the system to their advantage.
Werner A. Mukatis, Corvallis