Working man will bear brunt of carbon taxes

Can someone please explain to me why Gov. Manchin, Senators Byrd and Rockefeller and Congressman Rahall are not shouting from the rooftops against the proposed carbon taxes in the Obama budget?

These onerous taxes will cause a burden to every man, woman and child who uses any energy in this country. The working man that the Democratic Party pretends to defend will bear the brunt of this tax.

For one of the few times in my lifetime, West Virginia is doing better than many other parts of the country. Home prices are more stable, foreclosure rates are lower and unemployment rates are lower. Has it occurred to those that we have elected to serve the people of West Virginia that maybe coal plays a big role in those factors? Our economy is still good. Defend it; don’t help destroy it.

These men were elected to serve the people of West Virginia, not follow the dictates of liberal Democrats who are currently waging war on American capitalism. It is difficult to tell if the current administration is willfully trying to destroy capitalism or is just totally ignorant about how the economy works. To debate the reason is moot; the outcome is the same: the destruction of The American Dream as we know it. Increasing the tax on coal will punish the people in West Virginia in an unfair and unnecessary way.

Obviously, we need to move toward more environmentally sound energy sources and renewable energy sources, but that technology is years away and taxing current energy sources will only retard growth in that direction.

The American public is already embracing a greener economy. Consumers are becoming more conscious of energy savings and eco-friendly practices. I see people every day who are embracing new techniques and products. Changing to a greener economy is an educational process that will take time and money as most of these products are not inexpensive. American businesses and the American people understand the need for a cleaner environment and are moving to support that end.

Taxing current carbon use only takes more money out of the economy and leaves less to change to the new technologies. Many businesses are learning ways that green will help them save money in the long run. Higher taxes only rob businesses of money they need to invest in the future.

Misguided politicians may think they are punishing businesses, but the real victims will be the hard-working men and women of West Virginia. Higher gas prices, higher utility rates are the only benefits of the so-called carbon taxes.

How about our politicians put a little faith in the American people and their ability to deal with tough times and make changes? This became the greatest country in the world because of the hard work and dedication of the American genius.



Micheal K. Tyree

Beckley

Journalism should defend downtrodden

So, it’s official: On the 31st day of March 2009, the Beckley Register-Herald abandoned all pretense of neutrality or fairness. On this day, you have surrendered your claim to any journalistic ethics whatsoever and published a miserable, scurrilous, utterly libelous (per se) second-hand attack on Mssrs. Bo Webb and Vernon Haltom. Not content with that, you even deigned not to excise threats of physical violence from the letter in question. Your abdication of even the pretense of journalistic ethics may reasonably and foreseeably lead to violence, if your Massey employee’s letter is to be taken at face value.

The debate over mountain removal in the Coal River Valley (and West Virginia, in general) is a heated one. Coalfield residents are subjected to daily intrusions and trespasses upon their property by mining operations who do not blush at blasting toxins into the air to land on neighboring villages below, to pump poisons into the ground water, to poison wells and crack home foundations. Those coal companies have neither sought the consent of such property owners nor compensated them for such trespasses. When one coalfield resident complains, you respond by publishing not one, but two letters against him bearing eliminationist rhetoric and open threats of violence against a person who has sought your forum as a place in which to air his grievance.

You should be ashamed. America has a great tradition of journalism standing up for the downtrodden. That tradition apparently does not extend to the editorial offices of The Register-Herald.



Bob Kincaid

Victor