Letters to the Editor
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‘Taxing Profits = Taxing People’
Mr. Kudlow’s article in Friday’s issue of the Sun leaves out several very important considerations when discussing the matter of oil and profit [Oped, “Taxing Profits = Taxing People,” February 9, 2007].
First, the huge environmental impact of petroleum production — from pumping to consumption — who pays for that? If one takes these environmental costs into consideration, Mobil’s profit of $39.5 billion dollars comes at a huge cost to the people.
Second, there is the amount of royalties that Mobil pays for the right to pump oil from public lands — are these leases fairly valued?
Third, where did these profits come from? How much from underpaying workers or underspending on environmental issues? If the artificially inflated oil prices dropped, would the chief executive officer look to increasing efficiencies or would he first look to dispatching thousands of jobs to maintain the company’s, i.e., shareholders’, bottom line?
This is not a liberal issue; it is a humanitarian issue. Capitalism treats workers, environmental regulations, safety regulations, and materials as expenses. All of which need to be kept to a minimum to achieve maximum return on investment.
In the capitalist model, there is no room for compassion for the worker or the environment. Just how much the company can keep after paying whatever bills it has to.
DWIGHT SIMMONS
Brooklyn, N.Y.
‘Beyond Tort Reform’
Mr. Howard’s oped piece on February 5, 2007, struck a deep chord [Oped, “Beyond Tort Reform,” February 5, 2007].
I am a former engineer that is now pursuing a career as a high school math teacher, and the problem of our legal system that you so clearly talked about is also severely hindering public education in New York State.
To my horror I have discovered that administrators care very little for the children’s education. Instead they are in a constant state of fear of legal action.
The main thrust is to make sure the paper work is correct so that you can be held harmless against any possible legal action from any direction.
Enforcing the “rules and regulations” is the priority of the school district not the educational needs of the students.
ALEC GREENFIELD
Syracuse, N.Y.
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