Politicians give me gas pains
Every six years, U.S. senators are up for election, and every two years, members of the House of Representatives vie for our votes. They all promise that they are for us, they have our backs, and will make our lives better. Then comes the oil industry, which wines and dines all the politicians and donates huge sums of money to help them get reelected. Why do gas prices go up right after the price of oil per barrel is increased? If the oil comes from overseas, it takes quite a while to reach us ["Pressure on U.S. oil," LI Business, March 19] . Even if the oil comes from this country, it takes weeks to get to the pump. Another issue is the wide array of gas prices. In Huntington, I have seen prices range from $3.99 per gallon to $4.79. Stations with the same brand, within just a few miles of each other, can differ by 20 to 30 cents. Why are we voters left hung out to dry? So, Mr. and Ms. Politician, whom do you represent? The voters you so feverishly court with promises up to the moon? Or do you look after all the special interests who only want record profits every year?
Roger Kaufman, East Northport
We have so many toxic things bombarding our minds, bodies and planet that we need to get control over the ones that we can. Our air quality is now among the threats our bodies have to overcome to stay healthy ["Report: LI air quality above pollution limit," News, March 25]. It's another reason to get fossil-fuel-emissions-spewing vehicles off the road.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has already approved the Advanced Clean Truck rules to electrify trucks, must now support the green jobs bill package that would speed the transition to zero-emission buses.
The governor also must provide funding for electric school buses across the state. Those districts which have already made the switch are realizing savings and giving back power to the grid during nights and weekends when buses are not in operation. Children, as they sit in idling diesel buses, are especially prone to respiratory complications such as asthma. Funding zero-emission buses and their charging infrastructure will clean Long Island’s air and lengthen Long Islanders’ lives.
By the way, I love my electric car and spending much less money on getting around.
Kevin Greenstein, Port Washington
State must act now to become electric
The All-Electric Buildings Act, included in the state budget, is misunderstood ["Proposal for electric power," News, March 26]. It applies only to new buildings. Buildings are the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions in New York State. The Climate and Community Protection Act requires greenhouse gases to be reduced by 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050. We won’t get there if we continue to erect new buildings using gas. If we do, these buildings will need expensive retrofitting with the gas-free alternative -- a heat pump -- in a few years.
As more all-electric buildings go up with energy-efficient heating and cooling, it will become the norm. The trend toward electrification will then extend to renovations and rehabilitations. People will wonder why they didn’t switch sooner.
Does your work entail fusing plastic pipe gas lines? Then you’ll be ready to install plastic pipe for district heating. Are you an electrician? There will be plenty of work upgrading grid infrastructure as well as making buildings electric-ready for the transition. Jobs are not at risk. There will be a great demand for these skills in an all-electric future.
The longer we wait, the more expensive it will be to switch. If we don’t start now, then when?
Billii Roberti, Huntington Station
The writer is the Long Island Regional Renewable Heat Now coordinator.
Want to lower taxes? Go after tax evaders
Another article in which people feel wronged by another group that pays less taxes because of a new law that tries to remedy the complex property tax assessment issue in Nassau County ["Shifting the tax burden," News, March 27]. Gripe articles on our school taxes come out regularly. But we don't see articles or investigations on tax evaders. Who hasn’t been offered a lower cost for a service by agreeing not to be charged taxes in exchange for a cash payment? This seems so rampant that no politician would dare touch this topic as they would anger many constituents. Imagine how much lower all our taxes would be, and how much more financial support our federal, state and local governments would have, if we all just paid our fair share. I would love to see a politician bold enough to take this one on. Maybe then we could lower our $30 trillion in federal debt that we are passing down to our children and grandchildren, and each of us would pay less on all our taxes.
Karen Ferguson, Glen Cove
It's about time cops are put on notice
Glad to see Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison setting new ground rules for the county police department ["Sources: Top cop suspends PBA delegate," News, March 30]. It's about time that the police be held accountable and their union no longer cover up for them. It's time to break up the good old boys' club.
Bob Horsham, Ridge
Not putting oneself first leads to success
Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets says that his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19 was an important exercise of his freedom as an American and a refusal to be enslaved by anyone ["Irving: Staying unvaccinated is about freedom," Sports, March 29]. In reality, it was an exercise of egocentricity and a refusal to be socially responsible. There are times in life when individual freedoms are less important than the common good. Those times include wars and public health crises when the survival of the populace is of greater importance than the exercise of individual liberties. Ignoring this fact results in unnecessary death and destruction. Team sports such as basketball also require the subordination of individual accomplishment to the overall success of the team. Ignoring this in sports results in losing. Concern for the common good seems to be lost on Irving in both instances.
Dr. William J. Bennett, Huntington
