Letter below was submitted to the Bernardsville News on 01-24-21. It was published on line on 01-26-21 and in the print edition on 01-28-21.
Editor:
The elections are over and the winners are in their places. Our NJ Congressional delegation has not changed. Leadership in Washington is profoundly different. A new president occupies the White House, and control of the Senate has passed from Republicans to Democrats. Some are happy with these changes; some are not.
We still have huge problems that have not changed, except to get worse. My hope is that most of us will focus our attention and effort on what must be done to solve them, and not waste time looking back and pointing fingers of blame.
I expect all agree that conquering Covid-19 is our first priority in the near term. Next we have domestic terror, the economy, immigration, income and wealth inequality, racism, and more. There is probably little agreement on which of these is most important.
These second-tier problems do have something in common. Each exists because people hold conflicting positions. Each can be resolved whenever sufficient people on all sides of the issue come together for discussion, negotiation, and compromise.
I don’t suggest this will be easy or will be done quickly. I do contend that people have created these problems, and that people of good will can reduce them to tolerable size.
There is another group of problems, that includes global warming, climate change, sea level rise, and ocean acidification. They are different. People are on one side and nature is on the other. With nature there can be no discussion, negotiation, or compromise. Nature will follow its laws. Nothing we do will alter them.
These problems affect many of us today. They will continue to get worse until we stop adding carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and draw down the excess that is already there.
There are actions we should take now, and the longer we delay the worse and more difficult these problems will become.
There is reason to be optimistic that in Washington’s new political climate, officials will take constructive actions re nature’s climate. I will return to them in my next letter.
Bill Allen 01-24-21