Editor:
Further to Lee Smith’s letter last week, we need a benevolent leader akin to Jose Mujica, the 40th president of Uruguay, "the world's humblest head of state" due to his austere lifestyle and his donation of around 90 percent of his $12,000 monthly salary to charities that benefit poor people and small entrepreneurs.
Capitalist greed is a problem ensuring invention becomes the mother of necessity. What do we really need vs. simply want? Many of our parents may have been born on farms without electricity and running water, so long before internet use and cellphones became “essentials." Unlike marine life, humans can adapt to change (e.g., oil spills and heat).
Our problems must increase to the point where we are willing to accept inconveniences like driving less, by, for example, taking public transit and car sharing and cooperating. Penalties for sole occupancy driving of multi-passenger vehicles would help reduce car dependence, air pollution and worries about fuel price. Yes, government support of the internal combustion engine-based auto industry, thereby paying polluters to pollute, must end.
Paul Esslinger
