Letter to the Editor

Regarding Warming Center

Dear Editor,

Is Mark Sylvestri’s plan likely to pass?

Wondering if you’ve ever heard of “the Cobra effect”? Basically it’s a tale of perverse incentive. 

In India under the British there were too many cobras on the streets so they offered to pay people to bring in cobras. This initially lowered the number of cobras but then of course people started growing them to get the payouts. They were left with more cobras than ever before.

That’s not specifically to equate the homeless to that situation, but you will be incentivizing that lifestyle for those potentially on the edge who might otherwise have to work out garnering and gaining premises. That becomes less of a factor if there’s always a place to rest ones head at night he respective of having gainfully accrued the work and effort and finance to do same.

Randy Randall Bock, MD 

Pots Without Lids

Dear Editor,

Latest news on CNN has focused on Republican George Santos who was found to have lied about his education, work history and heritage. Not long ago, Elizabeth Warren was found to have lied on her College application saying she was American Indian, to gain advantages. President Biden was “astonished” at the discovery of Former President Trump’s home where FBI raided his residence and found “classified Documents” !  This raid made headlines and thwarted Trump’s influence in supporting Republican Candidates in the last Mid-Term election.

Now, we find President Biden took “Classified Documents” when leaving his former position as Vice President under the Obama Administration! Wow, they have been in his home garage as well as at the Penn-Center Office he had established? He allowed access keys to numerous Chinese individuals for his Penn-Center office. And look at the money exchange between Pennsylvania University and Biden and the Chinese Communist Government! Yikes, this is concerning!  Biden’s documents seemed unsecured, while Trump had them locked with the Secret Service guarding them!  A Former President has the right to take government documents he has de-classified while a Vice President has no such authority.

My Mom had a saying: “Il diavolo fa le pentole senza coperchi”, meaning the devil makes pots without lids. Everything he does finally spills out and is exposed. Jesus, the Light of the World, ultimately reveals all truth, judging righteously. Truth prevails!

Lucia Hunter

All About Heat Pumps–Webinar February 1

Dear Editor,

Heat pumps have been getting a lot of buzz—and a lot of questions. This free webinar, Wednesday February 1 from 7-8 pm, is your chance to learn. It’s worth learning even if you think heat pumps don’t apply to your housing situation.

The Downtown Chapter of Mothers Out Front, a non-profit mobilizing for a livable future, is presenting Loie Hayes of the Green Energy Consumers, a non-profit that harnesses consumer power to speed the transition to a low-carbon future.

Why Should I Care About Heat Pumps?  They are a necessary part of our future. We must move away from fossil fuels to mitigate climate change and meet our city and state goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings in Boston account for a whopping 70% of the City’s emissions.

What Are Heat Pumps?  Heat pumps can transfer heat into your home from air, water, or the ground outside your home. The webinar will focus on air-source heat pumps, which have a compressor unit outside connected to either a system of heating/cooling ducts or to one or more ductless air handlers or “heads”.

Do They Really Work in New England? Yes! They work in low temperatures—and provide cooling in summer as well!

Really– a Heat Pump Could Replace My Air Conditioner? Absolutely. Some suggest they should be called “heat and cool pumps”.

Aren’t They Expensive?  The webinar will note a variety of subsidies, credits, and tax incentives that help with the initial investment, as well as the savings over time.

Do they work in small apartments, or only in single family homes?  Heat pumps can be effective in a great variety of settings, including a single room or office, a single-family home, or a multi-unit building. Configurations vary.  Ductless systems can work for a single room or apartment, with a “mini-split” fixture mounted on the floor or wall or ceiling.  Buildings with a central duct system for a furnace or air conditioning can often use those duct systems.

How Do I Figure Out Whether Heat Pumps Make Sense for My Apartment or Building? The webinar is a great first step. It will address these and many other questions and invite you to ask your own.

To join the webinar, you can sign up at https://www.mothersoutfront.org/events/boston_ma_20230201/.

Betsy Peterson,
Mothers Out Front Downtown Boston

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