By Bob Harris
On the Sunday prior to the United Nations Climate Control summit in Manhattan, about 300,000 people marched for two miles in Manhattan asking for the protection of our planet from a climate catastrophe.
There were actually more than 2,600 climate change events throughout the world we call Earth. Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed a plan to make New York City greener. He wants to make more than 3,000 city-owned buildings more energy efficient by 2025. He says it will cost more than $1 billion over the next 10 years but feels it will be worth the cost.
Hurricane Sandy seems to have awakened people here to the dangers of global warming. Signs carried by people during the march told of their corners. Regretfully, many members of the House of Representatives of the United States don’t feel there is a global warming problem yet many leaders of small island nations throughout the world see the water lapping over their islands.
I understand that the state of Florida has the same problem with Miami covered with water at each high tide. People from New Hampshire are concerned that as their state gets warmer and warmer they will not be able to get maple syrup from their trees.
More people are asking for 100 percent clean renewable energy. This is possible with the new technologies we have today and are continually developing. Regretfully, coal-producing states and power plants want to continue using cheap coal.
New York State has suffered from Midwest power plants producing S02, which floats to the north east and creates H2S04 (sulfuric acid), which makes our lakes acidic and kills the fish and trees in our forests.
Oil companies want to keep making billions while receiving federal subsidies, which they were given when they were new little companies 100 years ago.
Regretfully, they use their money to lobby our Congress members to ignore global warming and note vote for 100 percent clean renewable energy.
The Obama administration is pressing to stop U.S. companies from hiding money overseas: Unfortunately, some of our largest companies, which have become rich selling goods and services here in the United States are merging with European companies so they can incorporate there and avoid paying U.S. taxes.
Our nation needs the tax revenues to make our country function better for the people. Money is needed to repair our infrastructure of roads, bridges, ports and rail lines and fund our schools.
If this infrastructure decays and our schools do not have advanced technology, then our economic growth will come to a grinding halt.
The Treasury Department has issued regulations to stop these so-called tax inversions.
Congress should really do tax reform, but it is dysfunctional at this time.
Perhaps the people will elect members who care about their country.
GOOD NEWS OF THE WEEK: We just had peaceful marches against global warming and for 100 percent renewable energy.
BAD NEWS OF THE WEEK: With sadness we report that a long-term advocate for transit reform has died.
John Razankowski lived in the Bronx but often came to Queens to fight for better transit.
He used public transportation in his travels around our city.
We need a few more people like him and then our lives would be much better.
