LETTERS: Gulf disaster, pension reform and more

We are all to blame for Gulf oil disaster

Are we willing to do anything at all to help ? Can we stop idling our cars while we wait for our children at school? Can we stop using plastic shopping bags from the supermarket? Can we turn off appliances, computers, etc. when not in use?

In case we don't realize it, we caused the BP oil disaster with our insatiable thirst for petroleum. We are not willing to move to renewable sources for energy because it costs too much or it doesn't look good. Cleaning this will cost us more than installing any type of renewable energy. Are we saying we would rather look at crude oil in Gulf water than wind turbines in the air?

What are we willing to do and what will it take until we do it? The cost to the people of the Gulf region is not calculable, but wait, since it's NIMBY, we don't need to worry . . . right?

Ray Ann Havasy

Port Washington

If we can send a man to the moon . . .

The oil spill in the Gulf is a horrendous act of environmental terrorism resulting from BP's failure to plan on the worst-case scenario. The government agency that played along with Big Oil was beyond grossly negligent.

NASA has explored space and brought men back from the moon. Apollo missions had their share of mishaps. Yet planning for critical failures allowed installing redundancies that saved lives. If men can travel 250,000 miles and return safely to Earth, it is enraging that a hole one mile beneath the surface of the Gulf continues to spew its poison.

BP's efforts to end the flow have been one snafu after another. With each failure, BP announces another strategy, which is always days away. The relief well won't be completed until August or later. Strangely, no one has inquired what they'll do if the relief well fails to end the flow.

This catastrophe is not of President Barack Obama's making but he will shortly own this mess. President Jimmy Carter demanded an end to fossil fuel dependency. Obama has championed alternative energy sources. Perhaps the only good that will come of this debacle is Big Oil's loss of power over our politicians. It will be a long time before any of them run on a platform of "Drill, baby, drill!"

Edward Horn

Baldwin

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Repower Long Island 2020 has the goal of eliminating all fossil-fuel, electricity-generating plants on Long Island by 2020, replacing their energy production by making maximum investments in energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy technologies. Some will say reaching this goal is impossible - in the same way some thought impossible President John F. Kennedy's goal to land a man on the moon in 10 years. Kennedy challenged the nation then, and the nation responded.

Today, while most technologies are in place to eliminate fossil fuels, the political will to totally support and implement them is lacking. Americans, especially Long Islanders, are very creative people, but our energy policy doesn't reflect American ingenuity - because new energy initiatives are held hostage by powerful fossil-fuel interests, which have a stranglehold on most elected officials and our economy.

Without a modern-day visionary like Kennedy to challenge us, it's up to local organizations that understand the harmful effects of oil and natural gas to put forth a visionary energy plan. One question remains: Do we who understand the energy issue have the vision and courage to call on Long Islanders to end our fossil-fuel era by 2020, replacing it with a new, "green" energy economy?

Peter Maniscalco

Manorville

Editor's note: The writer is chairman of Energy Conservation & Renewable Energy Committee Action Long Island.

Two suggestions for pension reform

So there's yet another bailout the tapped-out taxpayer must foot . There is no other term that depicts the absurdity of having to come up with $90 million to fund the state pension system. Technically the system is not underfunded. The taxpayer is being forced to pay for a decrease in the valuation of the pension fund investments.

The most obvious solution is the immediate implementation of a 401(k) plan. It is the same path taken when corporate America could no longer afford pension plans. A 401(k) plan involves investments that are subject to risk. Many have seen the value of their 401(k) plans diminish recently. There is no one to turn to to get that money back. There is no bailout avenue.

The taxpayer can no longer be the solution to a broken system. The $90 million should be spread among those receiving state pensions. There should be a decrease in benefit payments equal to the $90 million. There needs to exist a level of risk associated with receiving a pension. Sacrifices cannot, and should not, only be absorbed by the taxpayer.

Ray D'Esposito

Smithtown

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At least annually, Newsday exposes pension outrages such as retirees earning more than double their annual salaries in pensions. This is usually due to overtime abuses. Now the state is asking for much more to fund these pension payouts. The answer is simple. Pass a law in Albany that limits all state workers' pensions to no more that 75 percent of their last annual salary without overtime or other enhancements.

The trouble with this simple solution is that our elected representatives would have to stand up to the unions who give them donations. The politicians should remember that most state workers (and voters) retire without these excesses and resent deeply that their colleagues are milking the system.

Bob Fredericks

Shelter Island

No excuse for kids' exposure to pesticides

The new law banning the use of chemical pesticides on school playing fields will protect children and spur the organic land care industry statewide . It is eminently feasible for schools to go organic on their playgrounds and athletic fields. There is a growing sector of the landscaping industry on Long Island using organic methods on residential yards and institutional turf. The Neighborhood Network has been educating school grounds keepers, landscapers, golf course superintendents and others at our annual Organic Turf Show for 11 years. Representatives of more than 30 school districts and hundreds of landscapers have been trained.

The Neighborhood Network compiles a list of landscapers who can provide 100 percent organic service. Over 16 years, the list has grown from a handful of individuals to 40 companies serving every part of Long Island. With this expertise, there are no excuses for exposing children to potentially harmful toxins to maintain lawns and playing fields.

Andrew Manitt

Farmingdale

Editor's note: The writer is research director for the Neighborhood Network.