Two more letters by KFTC members in today's H-L

From the Lexington Herald-Leader

Legislative circus

These are serious times with serious challenges. We need serious leaders, and state Rep. Jim Gooch just doesn't make the grade.

After the recent mockery that was a hearing to debunk global warming, I hope the Democratic leadership is wriggling in discomfort and embarrassment.

Gooch chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, where he wields considerable power. Surely the Democrats will remedy this in the near future.

If they don't, they, too, will look ridiculous. We can't risk any more legislators resembling circus clowns.

Suzanne Dansereau
Big Creek

New energy source

The antics of state Rep. Jim Gooch serve to underscore that Kentucky is at a major crossroads.

One choice is to follow leaders like Gooch and squander our resources on coal, an extremely dirty and inefficient source of energy. This will not only increase global warming but also lead to the destruction of Eastern Kentucky through mountaintop removal.

Or, we can be smart and choose renewable resources, such as wind and solar energy, that are not only environmentally cleaner but also result in more jobs.

After all, according to Odyssey, the University of Kentucky's research magazine, we have at best about 75 years of coal left.

Would it not be smarter to choose a cleaner, longer-term energy solution now?

To follow this saner path, the first thing Kentuckians need to do is to vote out politicians like Gooch who are more interested in their own pocketbooks than the communities they represent.

Ramesh Bhatt
Lexington