Editorial termed way off the mark on infringement 

The editor who penned the opposition to the outdoor lighting ordinance (editorial headlined “Star-gazing ... for the elite” in the February Daily Planet) should really take a look at the whole picture.

Apparently Progress Energy had originally strongly recommended higher-wattage, less-energy-efficient lights for all of the public lights in Buncombe County.

This is akin to big oil companies recommending less fuel-efficient cars to up their profit.

This Progress Energy recommendation would have allowed a huge taxpayer expense at a time when cost-saving measures should be on everyone’s agenda. And the position of infringement is really the other way around.

Too much light is an infringement on those who appreciate our God-given right to the darkened night sky.

In any event, ADP editors labeling people as villains who stood up for nature being experienced for all is a waste of time and energy — just like the misguided recommendation by Progress Energy.

Take a few deep breaths, look up at the night sky and behold the beauty and wonder of our existence.

If one has to do this before starting up one’s tractor, then maybe something will be gained.

Liz Labar

Asheville

Skyrocketing oil prices

blamed on a cozy nexus

The BIG lie about oil ....

When Wall Street ran out of money in 2008, crude oil prices fell from $140 to $35 almost overnight.

Mr. Bush and Co. then gave the Fat Cats nearly a trillion dollars of taxpayer money to get back into the game, and open interest on oil futures soared immediately by 400 percent within six months. 

 Most of the cost of oil today is speculation in the financial markets, pure and simple. As soon as the bailout money flowed into the hands of Wall Street, crude oil rose from $35 back to $100.

 Why then does Big Media toe the government/corporate line that worldwide demand is the issue?

It is not. In fact, world demand for oil never grows at a pace of more than 2 or 3 percent per year, and oil production grows faster than that!

 This kind of cozy nexus among Big Media, Corporate America and our government is exactly what fuels so many conspiracy theories. It is a sign of naked corruption on such a scale that it causes thinking people to question whether real reform is even remotely possible.

 A similar corrupt lie can be found in the inflation data. Any reasonable person can detect the dramatic rise in the cost of living, yet the Federal Reserve continues to destroy the dollar for the benefit of large, multinational corporations.

The only people for whom inflation is low are the Wall Street tycoons, who pay zero percent to the Fed for the funds they borrow.

Steven Chase

Miami Beach, Fla.