Letter: Stewart wallows in talk radio rhetoric

Monday's Trib reported that in response to the President's proposal for a 30 percent reduction in carbon emissions, Rep. Chris Stewart noted that, "It's just another example of more expensive, big-government regulation, and less freedom for American business and American families." The statement mimics much of the tired simplistic rhetoric that floods the airwaves of right-wing talk radio.

Second District adults who voted for him expected more. We aspire to sending persons to serve in Congress who are thoughtful, committed to working with all their colleagues to address serious challenges, and ready to exercise their intellect to pursue the interests of Utah's citizens.

None of those aspirations are reflected in his statement. This past year, hundreds of thousands made known our discontent with the substandard air we breathe, soiled with poisonous emissions. Our world-renowned medical research facilities have confirmed the detrimental impact on our health, in particular young children and seniors, and how that impact is intensifying.

I would urge Rep. Stewart to ponder future responses with greater care and less deference to unhelpful rhetoric. How much more impressed we would have been had he acknowledged the challenge and offered his version of a less-radical but still meaningful effort to address it.

Markus Zimmer

Sandy