letter to the editor

Answers to letter responder's last four questions

Tue, 05/23/2017 - 8:30am

Dear Editor:

These are the answers to the final four questions posed by letter writer Paul Mayotte (late April) to my original letter on April 20 -- Destabilizing our nation and planet.

7. Having a business resume is certainly an asset for someone seeking election to public office, but having no experience in government service is a liability; and the higher the office to which a candidate aspires, the greater that liability becomes. The first four months of the current president’s administration is a vivid example of this proposition.

8. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution strictly prohibits government officials from promoting a particular religion. In blatant disregard for this fundamental principle, Governor Rick Perry proclaimed a three-day prayer vigil to end Texas’s drought (it didn’t) and staged a massive, evangelical Christian prayer rally in 2011, during which he read Biblical passages and called on Jesus to guide our nation out of darkness and back to economic revival (on the following Monday, the Dow lost 635 points). Yes, Mr. Mayotte, that abuse of power should disqualify Perry from holding public office.

9. I stand corrected on the sources of the president’s information. In addition to the two I mentioned (Fox News, Twitter), he does listen to Rush Limbaugh…and to Alex Jones.

10. At least one nation does produce more pollution than ours: The People’s Republic of China. Unlike the U.S. under its current administration, though, China has committed massive governmental resources to reducing carbon emissions and is the world’s leader in producing clean, renewable power-generating equipment. According to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, “The U.S. is already slipping well behind China in the race to secure a larger share of the booming clean energy market. With the incoming administration talking up coal and gas, prospective domestic policy changes don’t bode well.” 

I hope these answers have provided more facts in support of my “personal opinions.”

Bill Hammond

Trevett

Editor’s note: This will be the final installment of responses between Mr. Mayotte and Mr. Hammond on this topic.