June 02, 2017 01:57 PM UTC

Open Letter to Senator Ray Scott

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• by: Ckonola

Dear Senator Scott,

You recently sent an email to a Denver scientist who asked you to protect our environment. That email has become the laughing stock of the progressive world.

You said, “I respect your ideological idea’s, but the science is clear. You have cleaner water, air and mortality rates brought to you by fossil fuels. The data is clear for 100 years that we are all better off because of fossil fuels. ”

Clearly you do not know how to use an apostrophe. On your Twitter page you are self-described as “Colorado Senator and a strong voice for Colorados energy producers.”  In your email, there should be no apostrophe in ideas–the plural of a word does not require an apostrophe. In your self-description, Colorado’s should have an apostrophe because it is the possessive form of the word.

Telling an actual scientist that you respect their “ideological idea’s” is really dumb. Science does not have an ideology, it has a method by which theories are tested and supported or not supported with research and facts.  

An inability to use proper English is just the tip of the iceberg, however. The science that is clear is that the planet is warming. The cause of that warming generally involves the burning of fossil fuels and releasing exhausts into the atmosphere. Scientists agree on this point.

I would like to see any science that proves fossil fuel use results in cleaner water or cleaner air. That is a good example of your ideology, but it has no basis in fact. As for mortality rates: are you actually saying that we have “cleaner” mortality rates? That is what your sentence implies, but I can’t imagine what a “cleaner” mortality rate might look like.

Certainly we are better off because of the industrial advances made once energy became abundant and available. Likewise, there are medical uses for products manufactured from fossil fuels. But if we got our head out of the sand, we would see that investment in technology can get us even cheaper energy sources from the sun and wind, with less harm to our water and air.

I’m sure that you are going to say this is sour grapes, since you beat me in an election. That would be more ideology, and not scientific fact.

Get someone to edit your communications so that you, at least, don’t embarrass yourself with continued awkward usage of the English language.

Sincerely,

Claudette J Konola

Your Constituent