Letters: Former Ohio GOP chairman Paduchik wants to let Big Business pollute water, air
Paduchik wants to let Big Business pollute our water, air
In his June 4 guest column, "EPA's drinking water regulations ‘silly,' endanger Intel", Robert Paduchik gave us the usual claptrap, insisting that if we don’t let Big Business pollute our air and drinking water, the economy will collapse. We’ve been hearing this false message ever since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was established back in 1974.
Conservatives like Paduchik have repeated the wrong idea that environmental regulation is too expensive, reduces economic growth, hurts international competitiveness, and causes widespread layoffs and plant closures. However, studies show (Environmental Protection: Is It Bad for the Economy? A Non-technical Summary of the Literature (1999) | US EPA) that the Clean Air Act, for example, provided benefits of at least $6 trillion during its first 20 years at a cost of $565 billion.
Paduchik says we shouldn’t manage the number of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or chemical pollutants allowed in our drinking water because scientists are still studying their effects on us. Scientists are still studying atomic energy, but we know that atomic bombs are bad for us and need to be regulated. In the end, Paduchik and his ilk want Big Business to be able to keep their profits but pass their costs of polluting the air our children breathe and the water they drink along to us. It’s a con game that we can’t let them win. Our children deserve better.
Rick Bohan, Akron
Two things we need
Self-respect and self-reliance are two things we need a lot more of in Columbus, our state of Ohio and our nation.
Michael G. Federer, Gahanna
As debate continues, read a newspaper to learn critical race theory
According to the June 7 Daily Almanac, in 1892 African-American train passenger Homer Plessy was arrested fror refusing to sit in a railroad car designated for Black people. Four years later, in a landmark decision, the Supreme Court upheld racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. In 1954, the Supreme Court renounced their decision, although the "equal" part of segregation has never truly been enforced even to this day. Tragically, on this same date in 1998, a Black man in Jasper, Texas, James Byrd Jr., was hooked by a chain to a pickup truck and dragged to his death. (Spoiler alert: for those still planning to see "To Kill a Mockingbird", now playing at The Ohio Theater, this is part of the plot of the play and an illustration of how life imitates art.)
And lastly, in sports, Jesse Owens is recognized as a "Hometown hero ... who can be argued as the most impactful athlete of the 20th century" by winning four gold medals for his country in the 1936 Olympics. And yet, when he returned home, he could not purchase a home in many areas of Greater Columbus because of the practice of redlining.
Today, there is debate over schools covering the topic of "critical race theory." Until they decide what they want to do, the best advice is just to read a newspaper and educate yourself and your children.
Syd Lifshin, Columbus
Laws shouldn't aid gun sales, make life harder for transgender children
This is in response to the June 2 articles "Two Ohio GOP lawmakers want to end sales tax on firearms" and "Stonewall Columbus celebration highlights Pride Month events".
Why are lawmakers pushing a bill to benefit the sale of guns and make Ohio more gun friendly? A gun is an inanimate object which used in the wrong hands kills people.
Lawmakers across the country are also passing laws to ban transgender children from accessing medical care related to their gender and restricting transgenders from playing sports. Neither action is a danger to others. Instead, it benefits transgender children.
Jean Hoitsma, Columbus
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Letters: Paduchik wants Big Business to pollute to keep profits
