Letters: Oil companies profit from misery in Ukraine
Well, because of Putin’s brutal war on Ukraine, the price of oil is skyrocketing. The big oil companies are thrilled. The rest of us are hurting.
Big oil’s windfall profits should be taxed and returned to the rest of us to help with the extra cost of filling our tanks. They shouldn’t be profiting off the misery in Ukraine.
Tony Potochnik, Newport
Lower highway speeds save gas, money and lives
As nations support the people of Ukraine by eliminating dependence on Russian oil and, as a result, contribute to rising gasoline prices, it is worth noting that once a vehicle has reached its optimal fuel economy – generally 35 to 50 mph – gas mileage decreases. According to fueleconomy.gov, a car that gets approximately 27 miles per gallon at 65 mph will get 25 miles per gallon at 70 mph and only 20 miles per gallon at 80 mph. Or, as fueleconomy.gov points out, "You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 50 mph is like paying an additional $0.24 per gallon for gas."
Reducing the speed limit on interstate highways would benefit the United States in multiple ways: It would conserve gasoline; it would help us achieve our Paris Climate Accord goals; and last but certainly not least, it would reduce accidents and save lives.
Cynthia Starr, Hyde Park
Care about litter in addition to climate change
Many people are concerned with climate change and rightfully so. But these same environmentalists don't seem to care about litter thrown out ruining neighborhoods or cities. Nobody wants to look at beer bottles or soiled diapers on our streets.
Everybody needs to clean up their garbage in front of their house or in their neighborhood. Old $500 litter fines could also curtail the onslaught of garbage. How do the "go green" people worry about coal-filled air when we are smelling somebody's bag of refuse.
Time to act and lets clean up the grounds of the United States and then move onto electric cars.
Lee Eyerman, Amelia
Carlson's LSAT double-standard is racist, misogynistic
The Fox News entertainer Tucker Carlson, not to be confused with an actual reporter or journalist, managed to express racism and misogyny in one demand that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson produce her LSAT (Law School Admission Test) before her consideration to be a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
There is no record that Mr. Carlson demanded the same of white men in the same position such as Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
It is a wonder that any woman or person who finds racism abhorrent listens to him or advertisers would want to be associated with him.
Nancy Rowles, Covington
Keeping Trump in power benefitted Putin
A Feb. 7 letter to editor, "Putin didn't invade any countries under Trump's watch," disagreed with Eugene Robinson's opinion of the Trump/Putin relationship. What the letter writer does not understand is that it was in Putin's best interest to keep Trump popular and in power. He understood that Trump adored him. Therefore, Putin would never do anything (such as invading Ukraine) under Trump's watch.
He didn't mention that the Trump administration denied aid to Ukraine that had been congressionally approved and attempted to bribe the president of Ukraine, the same president who is now bravely remaining with the Ukrainian citizens.
Putin is without conscience. The only person Putin loves is Putin. Remember, Trump sided with Putin at the Helsinki Summit in 2018 over the FBI 's conclusion that Putin had interfered with our election. I'm certain Putin is hoping President Biden will appear weak so that Putin's corrupt, sexist, racist, dictator-loving, boy-crush buddy (Trump) will be reelected in 2024.
I'm very concerned about Putin's mental state. He, like his buddy Trump, does not like to lose. The big difference between the two is that if unbalanced Putin becomes desperate, he won't quietly go away, (not that Trump quietly went away, but he didn't have the means to destroy the world – just our belief in elections) but will attempt to take as much of humanity out with the nuclear power at his fingertips. We can only hope that someone in his small, trusted circle will stop him before the world as we know it no longer exists.
Pamela Rizzo, Western Hills
Dems hope to declare victory over virus before mid-terms
As the mid-term elections creep closer, have you noticed that Dr. Anthony Fauci has all but disappeared from the news? That must mean that the Democrats are preparing to declare victory over COVID, hoping that by Election Day voters will have forgotten the draconian measures they employed that did nothing to stop the virus.
Brady Matthews, Hamilton
Biden's domestic and foreign policy on the wrong path
A "generation" is loosely defined as being approximately 25-30 years, and if you do the research, you can find many famous quotations that suggest that a democracy can be lost in that period of time if its citizens don't pay attention to what their government is doing. As I watch the path that the Biden administration is taking on, both the domestic and foreign policy fronts, I'm beginning to believe that if we're not more vigilant and more vocal, the word "years" could be replaced by the word "months."
Bernie Schiff, Hyde Park
We shouldn't be taking public health advice from truckers
Is this a great country or what? We seem to have truck drivers, that recognized bastion of knowledge and information on infectious diseases, "lobbying" to make critical public health policy decisions during a pandemic. What will be next, some semi-literate game show host in the Oval Office? Holy mackerel.
Steve Hennessy, Westwood
Could Americans unite like Ukraine to fight for our country?
Reading the Forum section of the Sunday Enquirer can be an exercise in despair. As we watch the brave people of Ukraine stand AS ONE in the face of the atrocities of Putin and vow to die for their country, we read in Forum on March 6 our fellow Americans, who like all of us live in freedom truly worth dying for, complain ceaselessly because, for example, some police are imperfect ("Cracks in the blue wall," Feb. 6).
In addition, other Americans lament in Forum that, allegedly, sports are not fair to Muslim girls, jails are not "safe" enough, and their political opponents are "neo-Nazis." God help us if we ever have to come together to fight to the death for this country that so many people constantly disparage.
Gerard Ahrens, Westwood
Demand our senators pass voting rights bills
Whatever our color, background or ZIP code, we Americans value our freedom. The freedom to have a say in decisions that impact our lives – from curbing the pandemic to creating jobs to making health care affordable.
But now, the same faction who have endangered our lives with unfounded lies about COVID and Joe Biden's electoral victory are trying to sabotage future elections by passing anti-voter bills in Republican-led states. Together, we can demand that our senators pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act that would strengthen voting rights and the Freedom to Vote Act that will create national standards for our elections so all of us can safely and freely cast our ballots, ensure that trusted local election officials count every vote, and elect leaders who deliver on our priorities.
Debra Tarter, Monfort Heights
Millions go to Nepal while veteran services suffer
In a recent article, I read the United States is sending $500 million to Nepal to build roads, with protestors railing against their parliament to not accept it. (And how many years have politicians promised money for the Brent Spence Bridge?) On the same day, I went for an annual physical at the V.A. facility in Florence. During my visit, the lights went out. I was told that happens frequently because they want to save on energy. And the water from the faucets is at a small drizzle because the V.A. needs to save money!
What is our government thinking (or not) when they want to give a country millions that doesn’t even want it, but can’t provide for the very people who served their country?
Jim O’Connell, Lakeside Park
There's reason to worry if US has its military priorities straight
As Russian troops continue their assault on Ukraine and China continues to pour millions into advanced military equipment, the U.S. is putting its soldiers through training on transgender pronouns and coaching its officers on when to offer gender transition surgery (Source: Washington Free Beacon). If you're beginning to become concerned that America might be unprepared to meet the threats posed by our two main adversaries, you have a right to be.
William Longmire, Mt. Lookout
Tax forms have become to laborious and time-consuming
As a former IRS employee in the 1960s and the preparer of my own tax returns ever since, I can only say both the federal and state returns have become overly laborious and time-consuming.
At one time, the state’s return was somewhat user-friendly, but that is no longer the case. On the state’s schedule of credits, for instance, about 9 credit certificates are requested and the Schedules of Withholding and business sources comprise at least 1 ½ full pages. Now it would seem both the feds and the state of Ohio are in a duel to see which can become the most difficult.
Clearly, it is time for both to change over to a one-page return with gross income and estimated tax payments and withheld taxes only. In short, the tax preparers have killed the goose who has been laying the golden egg and keeping them in business,
Rodney Haworth, Western Hills
High gas prices worth it to help Ukraine
If higher gas prices and inflation are the price for imposing sanctions on Russia, that is a very small price for Americans to pay in comparison to the suffering of the Ukrainian people. Period.
God bless the Ukrainian people!
Viola Powers, Anderson Twp.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Letters: Oil companies profit from misery in Ukraine
