Holding polluters accountable
The recent “Make Polluters Pay” Town Hall in Oxnard was a shining occasion for hope. Hope that we can come together to tackle the devastating effects of climate change on our communities.
Over 115 community members convened to learn about the growing movement to pass climate superfund legislation, which counters the blatant unfairness of how the climate crisis is currently being paid for — i.e., exclusively by taxpayers. The oil industry, however, whose products have had a disproportionate role in climate disruption and its staggering costs, is paying nothing.
The event included a panel of local and state elected leaders, disaster response and recovery experts, union reps, non-profits and youth leaders, highlighting how climate and social/economic justice are inextricably connected. Community members worked together, learned together, and resolved together to demand accountability by the oil industry.
One attendee remarked that this event was “an inspiring display of intergenerational, intersectional support for polluter accountability. You could feel the power of community in that room, and this is just the start of a strong local movement to protect our climate, our communities, and our economy.”
Oil companies have known for decades about the harm their products cause. Yet they have underplayed, distorted, and deliberately covered up the truth, instead spending millions to block progress toward a clean energy transition.
As the cost of living increases, so does the conviction that it’s time to make polluters pay. Let your elected representatives know that you support climate superfund legislation.
Kathleen Wheeler, Ventura
A deal breaker on SAT opinion
Re: Robert Kaplan’s July 14 guest column, “The SAT won’t fix admissions problems”:
I read with great interest the evolution of thinking about the current affairs of college admissions as discussed by Robert Kaplan. It was going well, I agreed with the observations that grade inflation, recommendation letters, student essays don’t provide a meaningful assessment of an applicant’s college readiness.
He states that the SAT does have a predictive value. Continuing, he did warn that he was not a proponent of SAT being required for undergrad admission to the UC system. He pointed out his preference for a diverse student body with benefits of exposing students to others. The deal breaker for me is that he is a senior scholar for Clinical Excellence in Medicine. How to achieve excellence?
Len Linton, Thousand Oaks
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Community fights pollution, response to SAT take | Letters
Reporting by Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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By Ventura County Star | USA TODAY Network
