Letters on environmental security, porch thieves, health care

Environmental security matters

Let’s talk about security – the state of being absent of danger or fear. The types of security are many: home, health, food, financial, cyber, national, etc.

What may not come so readily to mind is environmental security — which is to live in an environment that provides clean air and water and a predictable and livable climate.

Inaction on climate change poses a threat to our environmental security. Climate scientists are convinced, based upon a vast body of evidence, that human-caused climate change is happening. Unabated, climate change will result in an increase of extreme weather-related disasters and coastal flooding that will consume an escalating percentage of our gross domestic product, putting our economic and national security at risk.

The U.S. House’s Bipartisan Climate Caucus recognizes this risk. This group, split evenly with Democrats and Republicans, promotes legislation that would collect a fee on fossil fuel production and distribute all the collections equally among the American citizenry as a dividend. This offers a market-based approach to deal with climate change and achieve environmental security.

Porch thieves

Regarding the Dale Earnhardt Jr. flag that was stolen from a woman’s porch: I, too, have been the victim of porch thieves – front and back – and I keep my porch lights on from dusk until dawn. I reported each theft to the Wichita Police Department.

Everyone should realize that lighting around your residence does help, but it doesn’t mean it’s going to deter strong-willed criminals. Even at Christmas time some of my lighted outside decorations were targeted for theft. But thanks to an insomniac neighbor, the thieves were scared away and WPD patrols in my area were beefed-up.

Deserve plagues

Legislators who say that people who lead good lives don’t need to worry about pre-existing conditions, or say that people don’t deserve health insurance if they are poor, should remember the plagues of Egypt. They deserve them for their selfishness, vanity and lack of charity.

Do they remember the Sermon on the Mount? Probably not, or they would doubt their vile prosperity gospel and its message that wealth is your right.

This story was originally published May 15, 2017 at 5:04 AM with the headline "Letters on environmental security, porch thieves, health care."