Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland tests synthetic grass to save water ... From walking sticks to shovels ... U.S. Government wants to garnish wages of former Portland eco-saboteur ... Ashland tests synthetic grass to save water ... From walking sticks to shovels ... U.S. Government wants to garnish wages of former Portland eco-saboteur ... LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor, Sept. 24 Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 24, 2014 at 12:01 AM Posted Sep. 24, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Social News Elect Dotterrer I fear that Senator Bates does not understand much about the demographics of the district that he represents when he believes success or failure in Oregon is based on your party affiliation or which community you choose to live in. His reasons for why we lag the nation and lag Oregon in coming out of the recent recession would be laughable, but poverty is no joke and not being able to find a job is no fun. It is time that we pull together to elect a person who will get something done and help grow the economy of Jackson County. Dave Dotterrer will get the job done. Fred A. Zerull Jr., Jacksonville Ad not negative William Coyne writes (Sept. 17 letters) that Colonel Dotterrer broke his word by releasing a negative ad about his opponent. Excuse me? I've seen the ad several times, and it says nothing negative about Dr. Bates. It merely points that he voted against tax breaks for small businesses while voting for similar breaks for big businesses up north. Pointing out an incumbent's voting record is not in any way "going negative." John F. Howard, retired U.S. Navy commander, Medford Will Washington help? Will Washington help us here in Southern Oregon with the impact of climate disruption? We have members of the Washington establishment that still think the earth is flat (Cruz, Bush, Ryan, Perry, Paul, Pense), that climate chaos does not exist (Rubio, Huckabee), that used to acknowledge that climate change exists, but now deny it (Christie, Kasich), and others who avoid judgment (Jindal, Walker). So, no help from Washington. Leaders at all levels of government have an ethical responsibility to understand the science of climate change. Uninformed ignorance does not justify inaction. We should ask officeholders or wannabes: From where do they get information that informs their opinions? Why do they defend corporations that continue to emit dangerous levels of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere, threatening us, our kids and grand-kids? We cannot afford to wait for total scientific agreement because some politically motivated deniers will always exist. If we wait, we will soon find it's too late to prevent human-induced climate change devastation. Concerned voters should attend the Candidate Forum on Clean Energy and Climate Change, 6:30-8 p.m., Oct. 8, at the SOU/RCC Higher Education Center, Medford. Louise Shawkat, Ashland Lawmakers must act Burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere while carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has a warming effect. These realities are beyond question. And exactly where greenhouse gases are released makes no difference; they still contribute to global warming. Since there is no such thing as carbon-free coal, we must minimize coal combustion. Exporting our coal might make coal executives wealthy, but it makes the climate condition worse. Although burning natural gas emits less carbon dioxide than coal, extensive natural gas leaks occur between source and sink. Furthermore, when natural gas is extracted through hydraulic fracturing (fracking), the process introduces cancer-causing toxins into our environment. This is permitted only because Vice President Cheney’s "Halliburton loophole" in the 2005 energy bill exempts fracking from clean water rules. And methane (natural gas) has 23 times the warming impact of carbon dioxide. Because the extraction and export of natural gas is doubly damaging, we should reject the Lakeview-to-Coos Bay Pacific Gas Connector. Finally, to control greenhouse gas emissions we could adopt a "polluter pays" principle, demanding a fee for the greenhouse gas composition of extracted fuels. Ken Deveney, Ashland MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 24, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501