Bloomberg Opinion columnist Jared Dillian (“Many pay no federal income tax, and they should” Sept. 7) seeks fairness in the tax code. He wants everyone to make a fair contribution to our nation.
Income tax and fairness is worthy of conversation, but the even larger issue that Dillian neglects is income and fairness. I wonder if he’s contemplated whether it is fair that he, as an “investment strategist,” has an income that likely is many multiples that of a nurse caring for COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit, or that of so many professionals who contribute greatly to our nation but earn modest pay.
Once he has demonstrated that he has done so, I’ll have some patience for his quibbles.
CHRIS TRIMBLE
Norwich
The article by Lisa Rathke of The Associated Press about homeowners who treasure peace and quiet only to have it disrupted by the noise and fumes of ATVs addresses the issue in an orderly way (“Do ATVs belong on roads?” Sept. 7). But what about the proverbial “elephant in the room”?
Such recreational vehicles don’t just pollute their immediate surroundings. They contribute to global warming. Did any of the homeowners point that out? What’s the riders’ point of view on that?
In the same Valley News, columnist Virginia Heffernan of the Los Angeles Times makes an eloquent plea (“Our summer of fires and floods”). Recent floods and fires and droughts signal “a breakdown of climate but, more important, a breakdown of American government and industry, which have utterly failed over the last 50 years to modify a rapacious economy that still depends on gouging stuff out of the earth and burning it.” She calls for “common sense, pragmatic action and moral responsibility.”
Yes! We’ve already run out of time to save the climate as we used to enjoy it. If we want to hand over a livable planet to our children, it’s time to focus on every means possible to save it for them.
JOANNA RUDGE LONG
South Pomfret
Cashews are in the same plant family as poison ivy, anacardiaceae. Cashew shells contain an oil, urushiol, that causes the same allergic reaction as poison ivy. Traces of this oil may be present on raw cashews. The oil is deactivated by roasting. But raw cashews, as called for in the recipe for green banana cashew sauce (“Green bananas still a go,” Sept. 8) should be avoided by anyone who is allergic to poison ivy or poison sumac.
For more information about this, you can look up the Jan. 26, 2020, Scientific American article “What Do Cashews, Mangoes and Poison Ivy Have in Common?” by Sabrina Stierwalt.
ALICE SCHORI
Canaan