I was shocked to read that Gov. Sununu is taking executive action to actively discourage the state’s pension system from considering social and environmental factors when investing employee’s pensions (“NH Governor takes aim at ESG investing,” by New Hampshire Public Radio, Page A2, April 13). Continuing on, I found that the justification for the action was to “maximize shareholder value” and avoid the proliferation of “woke” ideology.
The last that I knew, we as a species exist on this planet because of the confluence in time and space of favorable environmental conditions, creating oxygen, water and nutrition, for humans to survive, and a protective ozone layer to avoid being fried by UV radiation. This set of conditions are what is known as ecology. At no point in the millions of years that it took for humans to evolve to this point in time, did ideology have anything to do with it.
Continuing to ignore ecology to the point of attempting to obstruct its rules is a recipe for disaster, which could lead us to “wake” to a place that is increasingly uninhabitable, with more wildfires, more tornadoes, more hurricanes, more algae, thinning ozone layer, extreme heat and less precipitation.
Let us not fall asleep at the wheel here.
Bart Guetti
geographer, West Lebanon
There are times it feels like our species is on the Titanic. Some of us are in the engine room, keeping the lights and motors humming; busy, busy, lots to do. Some of us are in the galley, preparing a beautiful buffet, or in the dining rooms, consuming the delectables. Some of us are swabbing the deck, playing shuffleboard, serving drinks, napping, or carousing. Virtually all of us are oblivious to the looming encounter we’re about to have. The lookouts are telling the bridge they see something up ahead, but almost everyone else is focused on their jobs or leisure.
It’s all so understandable and even predictable.
I wish it were otherwise but the science says the Earth is on a collision course. If we run into the iceberg of climate change, lots of people are in trouble — and, just like the Titanic, the fact is there are too few lifeboats to go around.
What do we do? Pretend it’s not happening? To do so would abandon our children and grandchildren to an unhappy and frightening future.
The Titanic was not unsinkable in 1912, and many more of its passengers would have survived had its owners “planned for the worst.” Let’s not make the same mistake. The fact is we are all on the same “boat” — if the Earth “sinks,” wealth and position do not guarantee survival. Yes, there are many things you can do individually to improve the situation (solar panels, heat pumps, added insulation, etc.), but the biggest one is this: Tell your legislators you want more done on climate and you want it done now. Working collectively there may yet be time to make the course correction that brings us to safe harbor.
Bob Ciernia
Citizens’ Climate Lobby Vermont
White River Junction
I feel compelled to respond to a recent commentary from Professor Sheldon Jacobson about the regressive tax of lotteries and how they disproportionately affect those who can least afford it (“Why does the left ignore regressive tax of lotteries?” April 20). He lists a fair amount of likely accurate statistics about what he considers poor financial returns from purchasing lottery tickets, while also suggesting that casino slots are a better way to invest your gambling dollars.
I am a purchaser of lottery tickets, but I include it as part of my entertainment budget, as many people do. It is well-known that the odds of winning a big lottery jackpot are extremely small, but there is one statistic that was omitted from the article. The odds of winning a jackpot without buying a ticket is zero.
It is possible, and actually quite likely, that a person can buy lottery tickets their entire life and never win a jackpot. That being said, how much is a dream worth? For just a few dollars a couple of times a week, someone can put their hopes and dreams into something that just might change their life. Perhaps they won’t have to break their backs digging ditches, twisting parts together or scrubbing toilets day after day. Maybe, just maybe, they can take that dream vacation they’ve always wanted. They can daydream about how well their families and favorite charities will be taken care of without having to save every penny for 90 years to be able to give just a fraction of the jackpot amount.
They may never win, but for a few hours before those numbers are drawn, they have hope. That is something that sadly will never be received from unappreciative and often wealthy corporate employers. The value of that feeling is unquantifiable.
Brian Simoni
South Royalton