Letters to the Editor: July 21 – 27, 2016
Beyer’s Business Not Necessarily More Virtuous
Editor,
Don Beyer’s family business may not be the best to contrast to Donald Trump’s if he’s trying to paint himself as more virtuous. Beyer states that he’s proud of his family’s auto business and claims that “our business practice is to put the little guy first,” while ignoring the 42 years of carbon emissions that his auto dealership has produced. Does Rep. Beyer not understand that carbon emissions proportionally hurt the “little guy” he claims to care about? In the very pages of this newspaper (March 4, 2015) Rep. Beyer stated that “More than 7,000 Americans lost their lives to climate change-fueled events last year. Millions more are at risk unless we act to reverse the disastrous effects.”
This does not give Mr. Trump a pass for his own questionable business dealings, but if Rep. Beyer wants to claim a higher ethical standard he should immediately close his dealerships and use the proceeds from liquidating any remaining assets to invest in green energy companies.
Jeff Walyus
Arlington
We Must Incentivize More Renewable Energy Sources
Editor,
With Governor McAuliffe signing Executive Order 57, which targets areas for reduction in carbon emissions, we are moving towards a better future, but more needs to be done. Every day, we pollute the atmosphere from car and power plant emissions, which reduces the quality of living for everyone in the area. More importantly, those carbon emissions lead to global climate change, of which the effects of that we are only starting to see. If we do nothing, then we ensure that our planet becomes more polluted.
In order for us to stop polluting the atmosphere and the world around us, we need to implement a strong Clean Power Plan. This means meeting EPA emission limits to cut carbon pollution, soot, and smog. This also means incentivizing renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
John Carballo
Falls Church
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