Give your kicker

Sometime in the next week, before Dec. 15, the state will be mailing out over $1 billion worth of kicker checks.

While returning excess revenue to the taxpayers is, in my view, abysmal public policy, it is the law of our land. One choice we have, however, is to invest this money in community assets that enrich and improve our and our neighbors’ lives. I consider groups like the United Way, our local education foundation and the Next Door to be this type of asset, and I will be supporting them with my kicker check.

I encourage us all to choose our own community asset to support with this unexpected windfall.

A clarification

I want to thank the Hood River News for the very gracious article about me (Dec. 5), and also to offer one important correction.

Although I’m proud to be able to continue working as a physician and government relations coordinator for La Clínica del Cariño, our medical director is the very capable Dr. Connie Serra.

Dr. Serra is part of a leadership team at La Clínica that also includes our new executive director, Mr. Frank Vasquez.

The mid-Columbia is wonderfully served by these individuals, their colleagues, the health care providers, the staff and the board of directors of La Clínica del Cariño at our clinics in Hood River and The Dalles.

Give up the gas

All the factors mentioned by Cliff Mansfield in his letter to the editor of Dec. 1 are taken into account when scientists try to find out all the effects we have on our climate.

Everyone knows that the Earth’s climate fluctuates naturally. Even schoolchildren know about ice ages. To suggest that Ph.D.s studying climate don’t know about that (including Milankovitch cycles, and other effects on climate) is silly.

Before using Mars in an argument, he should have done a little research. The global dust storms on Mars can change the planet’s albedo — when it gets darker it absorbs more sunlight.

Maybe most people don’t know about SOHO, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, so it can be forgiven that they aren’t aware how much we know about the sun. The space-based observatory sits at the L1 point, about 1.5 million kilometers away from earth in the direction of the sun. We couldn’t miss something as basic as an increase in solar output.

All the science aside, just think about how much of your gas money goes to terrorists in the Middle East. Then, if you care about your children and your grandchildren consider the fact that oil is going to run out some day and the more you use the sooner that will be and the harder the crash will be. If you give a damn about the future of the United States think twice about guzzling down our oil reserves.

Bush’s flawed logic

When George W. Bush was governor of Texas he made the statement he knew there was no evidence capital punishment deterred crime. But in his heart he knew it did.

As president, Bush has used the same “logic” to make extremely important decisions. There was no evidence Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, but again in his heart he knew he did. Thus the quagmire we are in Iraq.

Now, Bush is applying his flawed “logic” in reverse. For years he has publicly denied global warming. Faced with all the scientific evidence showing human induced global warming is indeed taking place, in his heart he knows it isn’t.

He is about to repeat this mistake in Iran. Besides denying he knew about Iran’s 2003 ceasing to pursue nuclear weapons, he claims that information as an excuse to attack Iran. Why? Because in his heart he knows Iran is pursuing those weapons.

When will this idiocy end?

Get on the bus

It is worth congratulating the director and staff of CAT, as well as the MCEDD, for all the work involved in making possible our new public transit between Hood River and The Dalles and, on Thursdays, these towns and Portland.

This transit will make possible at least limited access to specialized medical facilities, shopping, and events previously out of reach of many of our disabled, impoverished or older residents. And this transit saves gas costs for every one of us while helping us avoid driving in insane Gorge traffic, and eases environmental destruction of our region.

Let’s take the bus!

HR Hanford hearing

On Dec. 12 there will be a public meeting on Hanford cleanup. The location is the Best Western Hood River Inn starting at 6:30 p.m.

The Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to significantly delay the radioactive and chemical cleanup. Just opening the vitrification plant won’t happen until 2019 and DOE says the cleanup won’t be complete until 2052!

There is also a David Brower film showing that same night. For some, including me, that will be a real dilemma and conflict. Organizers have worked hard to have another showing of the Brower film Dec. 19 at the Columbia Center for the Arts.

But we need many people to attend the Dec. 12 Hanford meeting. Hanford is the most polluted place in North America. Hanford pollution has already reached the Columbia River. We and many Native Americans eat fish from that river. Please attend the meeting and urge the DOE to not delay cleanup. Thank you — and the fish and all life in the river thanks you.