Dear editor:

I found this quote in a recent Harriet Hageman newsletter to be particularly galling:

“God has given us an abundance of resources to put food on our tables, gas in our cars and a roof over our heads.”

Ms. Hageman should bear in mind that the first thing God gave us, according to the book of Genesis, was solar energy. He also gave us wind and uranium, as well as free will. That last is particularly important, because it means we can choose to destroy the planet as it currently exists in human experience. True science isn’t a belief system. Higher CO2 levels in the atmosphere increase the planet’s temperature. Period.

Wyoming has been fortunate, in that we have yet to come to grips with a multi-billion dollar climate disaster. I wonder how Ms. Hageman’s drive towards deficit reduction is addressing publicly funded  recovery efforts, which have been and will continue to be more frequent and more expensive as the climate crisis evolves?

I would ask your readers to bear in mind that Ms. Hageman was one of a handful of legislators voting against a continuing resolution to fund the federal government, a vote that would have defunded wildland firefighters, Wyoming’s first defense against the most likely climate disaster the state will suffer.

Phil Anthony

Powell