This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
"Is Utah about to strike it rich?" (Tribune, Aug. 10). An interesting front-page headline for an otherwise balanced story.
We Utahns love to think we can strike it rich. Multi-level marketing (a type of Ponzi scheme), cold fusion (remember?!), investment scams and, now, oil shale. They all promise quick, high returns. The first few in often do very well, the next tier struggles and does not do well, the last in (before it all collapses) lose their shirts, their savings, their trust in the system.
Investing in fossil fuels today is participating in a scam. Encouraging investment in really dirty fossil fuels — coal, oil shale, tar sands — should be considered fraud.
The other major daily paper ran an editorial the other day which included: "It's no secret that the world will have to make the transition from fossil fuels to something more sustainable."
Invest in and develop technologies with a real future — and which do not further degrade our air, water, land, health and well-being. Avoid any and all "opportunities" which promise rapid, double-digit returns. You'll lose far more than your shirt!
And read beyond the initial headline.
Joseph Andrade
Salt Lake City