Sick leave OTHER VOICES
Republican acknowledgment
It is time for the Republican Party to say enough is enough. They need to realize the only reason that they lost the White House is because of President Donald Trump’s deplorable, childish behavior.
His narcissistic bullying andmyway or the highway attitude finally wore thin. The American voters became fed-up and disillusioned so they said enough is enough and voted him out. Those who continue to support his bad behavior are starting to sound like sore losers, just like Trump.
It’s time for our elected officials to put aside their differences and come together to heal our country. They need to begin doing the job they promised to do when theywere elected into office, work for the American people.
It’s time to remember that our country divided cannot thrive and will eventually self-destruct. Our country united can and will do great things. DAWNFISCHER Pasadena
Gov. Larry Hogan’s coronavirus press conferences have become “must-see TV” for many. Yet I’ve not heard the governor say whether he still believes Maryland’s essential workers should be forced to choose: Do I drag myself to work while miserably sick, or do Imiss the rent? Do I spread disease to co-workers and customers, or do I skip this week’ s groceries?
Hogan showed clear disdain for averageworking people with his 2017 veto of a measure guaranteeing Marylanders at least five days of paid sick leave. Fortunately, Democrats in the legislature passed the bill into law despite his opposition.
We now have at least some access to a right that was won years ago by workers in basically every developed country other than theUnited States.
Perhaps one day he will tell us whether he regrets his error. Until then, we can assume Larry Hogan and legislative Republicans remain on the side of wealthy business owners. BRANDONPAYNE Pasadena
Climate drag
It is very depressing to see letters like the one from Wayne Adamson (The Capital, Dec 1). He is trying to rev-up doubts about climate change action, this time in the guise of claims that the incoming administration is incompetent to affect action, and that changing direction is reckless.
By denigrating and misrepresenting political skills and technology, and throwing up strawman arguments, Adamson appears to argue that natural gas is our best option above all others. He is wrong. Natural gas only let us hang at the end of the rope, killing ourselves more slowly.
When carbon-neutral alternatives can be purchased at the same or only slightly higher prices, why would you want to encourage continued carbon pollution?
Natural gas is not going to disappear overnight and will continue to be used where other better alternatives are not available, but there is absolutely no good reason encourage it, locking in another carbon-producing technology as a bedrock of our energy infrastructure for the next 40-60 years. We need to leapfrog old polluting systems and get wherewe need to be as expeditiously aswe can.
There is reason for haste. Temperatures and sea levels are rising, public money is going to be spent to protect our common infrastructure. To limit these consequences, we need to invest in more innovation, international persuasion, and massproduction of carbon-neutral power systems.
This will ultimately mean power that is clean and cheap, leaving the stranded assets of a natural gas distribution system for the ratepayers to eat, unless they refuse to bite at the dangled bait now. BRITT GRISWOLD Annapolis