Dear Editor,
On Father’s Day I sat in the Empire Ballroom of the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., participating in “Basic Training” provided by Citizens Climate Lobby, a group that advocates for a fee on carbon emissions and a return of the dividends to all households.
Expecting to learn how to be a lobbyist, I was surprised when asked to free-write on the relationship between Father’s Day and climate change. My father died 10 years ago in Massachusetts. I imagined a conversation with him.
“Hi, Dad, I am going to Washington, D.C., to the sixth annual meeting of Citizens Climate Lobby.”
“Is that like all those strikes you had at the University of Rochester while I was paying for your college education?”
“Dad, I never did thank you for the way you supported me as the first person in our family to go to college. But this is different. It’s not about force but about power. We meet with our senators and congressional representatives and express appreciation for what they are doing to ensure a stable and safe climate for us and future generations. Did you know that Sen. [Sheldon] Whitehouse introduced a bill to charge a fee on carbon pollution?”
“Just another one of those radicals trying to raise taxes on people with a little money like me!”
“Well, you’ll be surprised to learn that this is not a tax but a fee. A tax raises money for the government, but this bill is revenue neutral. All the money goes back to the American people – businesses and households.”
“Yeah, well, N-Star will never go along with it.”
Largely due to my father’s passion for investing, I left a 20-year academic career to become a financial representative, as I help people divest from fossil-fuel holdings and reinvest in alternative energy. Despite our differences, I think my father is proud of me. n
Karen Paley
East Greenwich
