Letters: Climate crisis contributes to inflation; Educators deserve full support

Climate crisis contributes to inflation

Last year America suffered 20 major extreme climate events including fires, floods, snowstorms and hurricanes, according to a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Fifteen million homes sustained $56.92 billion in damage. One in 10 families needed to move. This increases the demand for and cost of housing. Loss of lumber from wildfires also contributes to housing costs.

Time Magazine reported that climate events disrupted supply chains at their source such as loosing oranges from frost, and in production e.g., grain and poultry processing, and in delivery: port access and road closures. These events raised costs for consumers.

The most effective and fastest way of reducing the cause of the climate crisis is to keep fossil fuels in the ground. A fee on carbon at its source would motivate the fossil fuel industry to use and create other forms of energy. This fee should be given back to each American family in monthly amounts to offset interim rises in cost.

More than 3,500 economists have studied this market approach extensively and documented that it is the fastest way to reduce carbon in the atmosphere. The International Monetary Fund states that among alternatives to reduce fossil fuel emissions, carbon fees are the most powerful and efficient, because they allow firms and households to find the lowest-cost ways of reducing energy use and changing to cleaner and greener alternatives.

Educators deserve full support

Throughout my career working with educators, I’ve seen a worrying trend: many schools are unable to afford both critical repairs to infrastructure and basic supplies for students. I have spoken with administrators who struggle to keep buildings open, food service directors who strive to provide nutritious meals over weekends and summers, and teachers who spend their hard-earned paychecks buying classroom materials like notebooks and pencils.

We shouldn’t have to rely on teachers and staff to fund our schools. But because Pennsylvania’s education funding system is both inadequate and inequitable, our commonwealth ranks 44th in state funding for education. Decades of slashing the education budget, passing bad legislation and raising property taxes on struggling communities has created a crisis of inequity, with a huge disparity between the richest and poorest districts. Yet the GOP-controlled legislature continues to set aside billions in available federal aid.

A great public education can open the door to a lifetime of success for students and families. Schools provide safe learning environments for children and critical support for communities, including access to physical and mental health services, food security, and broadband access. Our dedicated public education professionals deserve not just our gratitude and admiration, but our government’s support.

As your State Representative, I will put people first and work to ensure that every school has the resources it needs to prepare students for their futures and help our communities succeed.

Thompson owes constituents an answer

A few weeks ago a letter to the editor pointed out that Congressman Glenn Thompson hadn’t bothered to list on his website voting against accepting the Electoral College votes on Jan. 6 among his noteworthy activities for 2021.

Weeks later his website still includes no mention of it.

Why won’t Thompson own up to his attack on our democracy? Who from the Trump cabal told him to do it? Did he succumb to pressure or was he threatened with a Republican primary challenger if he didn’t go along? Was he bribed? Why won’t he stand up and tell us?

It was a sorry day for America and a sorry day for our congressman.

It’s inconceivable that Thompson thought of voting against the Electoral College all by himself. He owes his constituents an explanation as to why he tainted himself that day and why, in the process, he chose to embarrass the people he represents.

A Congressman who doesn’t see fit to explain such a serious action isn’t fit to serve in Congress.