YOUR TURN | Lives are priceless

“The price of comfort”

Re: “The price of comfort,” Your Turn; Sunday:

The author expressed his opposition to spending money on an event that might happen every 25 years, stating such expenditures could be very wasteful. This approach is like comparing apples to oranges when it should be comparing snowballs to snowballs.

The latest severe arctic cold fronts wreaked havoc on our utility grid and transportation services. A study done 10 years ago recommended a “winterization” of the said grid, but it was cheaper for our elected officials to ignore them. Therefore, when the front arrived, bringing with it the resulting damage and discomfort, we were caught with our pants down.

Contrary to the letter writer’s position, and from a purely

economical standpoint, spending millions for winterization to prevent billions in damages — not to mention the ensuing pain and suffering — not only makes good fiscal sense, but it is also a no-brainer.

Billy Tassos

Shares of Nikola Corp. slipped after the company cut projected output of its first commercial zero-emission vehicles and said it may seek to raise more capital to invest in facilities such as a planned hydrogen-fueling network.

The startup now expects to deliver 100 battery-electric Tre semis to customers this year, down from a previous target of 600. It blamed the global pandemic and supply chain issues for the drop in planned production volumes.