Editor’s note: The Portager publishes letters to the editor from the community. The opinions expressed are published not because they necessarily reflect those of the publication but because we feel they contribute meaningfully to the local discourse on matters of public interest.
As I watched Trump’s address to Congress several weeks ago, his often repeated “drill baby drill” took on a much more serious meaning. Since I have been an active supporter of transitioning to non-fossil fuels and encouraging Kent’s government and businesses to start considering transitioning to solar panels so as to produce our area’s clean electricity, I would have preferred our president to shout “shine baby shine.” But Trump doesn’t respect scientists’ conclusions because he values the profits fossil fuel companies make which clearly helped him campaign for the presidency. Trump even held a fund-raising event for oil and gas executives at his Florida home. He told them that if they donated a billion dollars to his campaign that he would lower taxes and the costs of producing fossil fuels which would benefit them with higher profits. He’s serving billionaires rather than “we the people” who believe the scientists and prefer a president who doesn’t display the behaviors of an autocrat whose governance style leans him toward “crony capitalism.”
Are you a voter that approved of Trump removing the US from the Paris Climate Agreement during his first term in office and then again on his second inauguration day? Now oil and gas companies can continue burning fossil fuels which is causing global warming that’s leading earth closer to extinction by the end of this century. Do you even care about the future of our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren? Trump certainly displays himself as an ego-centric businessman along with the other billionaires especially in the fossil fuel industries who supported his run for the presidency. Voters who listened and watched him spread his disinformation and lies through his social media sites, interviews, and even his address to Congress are the reason he is now president, again. I am more deeply concerned about these people who believed his lies and voted for him.
Perhaps when the climate begins to get more extreme in the Portage County region citizens will become more rational and accept the science-based conclusions. President Jimmy Carter believed in science findings when he had solar panels installed on the White House roof almost 50 years ago. The people who voted for Trump probably would agree with Reagan when he had them removed less than a decade later. We need a president who cares for our future and shouts “shine baby shine” not “drill baby drill.”
— Bill Wilen, Kent
The Portager publishes a range of opinions from the community. To submit a letter to the editor, write to [email protected].