Letters to the Editor: Dec. 2, 2021

The Build Back Better bill would significantly affect the U.S. economy

Biden’s Build Back Better bill was just rammed through the House of Representative without a single Republican voting for it. The most significant sum in the bill, $555 billion, would be directed toward curbing climate change. $320 billion of that is intended as tax credits for those who buy electric vehicles and the purchase of solar panels. And where do we get our solar panels? From China! And who uses tax credits? The wealthy! The U.S. taxpayers are going to be paying for the bill, which also increases the deduction for state and local taxes, which only benefits the wealthy

The bill authorizes $2.2 trillion, but the Wharton/Penn model places the outlay at twice that (and as a Wharton grad school graduate I’m much more inclined to believe that than any government estimate). Further, many of the “temporary” programs will over time be made permanent, vastly expanding the costs.

China, India, and Russia, account for 40% of the world’s CO2 emissions, while the U.S. accounts for only 15%, and those countries are doing very little to mitigate their pollution. Will our 15% significantly impact world pollution? No! Will it significantly impact the U.S. economy? Yes.

Both the climate accord and the BBB plan are merely vehicles to transfer wealth from a majority of people to a very few. One plan is global, and one is national — but they both will cost U.S. taxpayers far more than any other group on earth.

Wig Sherman, Vero Beach

Rep. Gosar’s repugnant video drew no rebuke from his GOP caucus

Imitating Donald Trump’s aberrant behavior, other right-wing politicians have followed him down the same rabbit hole (a literary allusion to Alice in “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” used to signify bizarre behavior). For example, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona posted to his Twitter account an anime video killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Although he was censured by the House of Representatives, Gosar’s repugnant behavior hasn’t drawn a rebuke from his shameless caucus.

Gosar’s siblings use words like “racist, corrupt, ignorant and hateful” to describe him (The Los Angeles Times). “He is, in my opinion, about as despicable a politician as I have ever seen,” said Dave Gosar.

We know contemporary, poisoned-filled politics have divided the country in deep and profound ways. As I can attest, close friends are no longer close, relatives are no longer beloved family members, and young adults are estranged from their nuclear families (and not just because their families misunderstand critical race theory believing, incorrectly, it’s a divisive liberal plot, not an academic methodology used to analyze written law for racial bias).

After watching Gosar spread lies that helped fuel January’s Capitol insurrection, several of his siblings are working to have their brother expelled from the House. “We feel it’s our moral obligation,” Dave Gosar told a Times reporter. “If you believe in things — integrity, character, honesty — when those things are compromised … you better stand up,” said Tim Gosar, another brother.

To his disgrace, Gosar embraced Trump’s birther movement, which asserted incorrectly Barack Obama was born in Africa and, thus, ineligible to be president. Gosar also disrespected Pope Francis, skipping his historic speech to Congress because of the pontiff’s stand on climate change.

Each of us should reflect on what part we play in our nation’s morally offensive political division before the divide cannot be bridged peacefully.

Cray Little, Vero Beach

The links in the supply chain problem

When President Joseph Biden Jr. canceled the Keystone XL oil pipeline and suspended selling leases for oil and gas exploration on federal lands he was surprised that Russia and OPEC kept their output low and raised their prices.

Supply and demand are all about leverage. Thanks to President Biden ending our country’s energy independence we no longer have leverage with Russia and OPEC over supply and price of fossil fuel.

The same scenario is taking place with goods shipped to the United States. The United States used to have three major international containership carriers: Sea-Land Service, which was the largest in the world, American President Lines and United States Lines. I headed up worldwide public relations for Sea-Land for nine years. Unions and U.S. Congress helped get rid of all three carriers. Maritime unions, which were supported primarily by Democrats, forced U.S. containership carriers to use a costly crew of 21. Modern containerships can be operated safely by as few as 10 professional mariners. The rest of the world uses 10 to 15 mariners.

Also, ports in the United States were not allowed to be robotized like those in Europe and Asia because U.S. longshore unions that work the port wanted to keep their jobs. The Democrats primarily supported these unions.

Not having our own maritime fleet and not updating our port operations took away most of the leverage the United States had in keeping the supply chain cost efficient and just-in-time.

China now has the largest maritime fleet in the world and many of the most efficient ports in the world.

It is all about leverage. Begging China to be nice to us is not the answer.

Stanford Erickson, Vero Beach

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Letters to the Editor: Dec. 2, 2021