Villeneuve was ‘spot on’ | Letter to the Editor

Published 11:30 am Friday, September 14, 2012

Unlike Sept. 7 letter writer Dick Bowne, who found Andrew Villeneuve’s column on the 2012 Republican Convention “myopic,” I thought Villeneuve was “spot on.” I, too, disagree with nearly everything the Republican party stands for.

In addition to saving the auto industry — no small feat, Obama managed to get health care reform passed, ended the war in Iraq, eliminated Osama bin Laden, repealed “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” toppled Moammar Gaddafi, increased support for veterans and boosted fuel efficiency standards, to name just a few, despite opposition from Republicans.

As for oil drilling in Brazil, according to the Export-Import Bank of the U.S., an agency whose mission is to assist in financing the export of U.S. goods and services to international markets, the bank’s bipartisan board unanimously approved the preliminary commitment to Petrobas in April 2009, before any Obama appointee joined the bank. At the time, the board consisted of three Republicans and two Democrats, all appointed by George W. Bush.

In addition, the bank is self-sustaining and does not receive any appropriated funds from Congress and its actions do not cost the American taxpayer a dime.

As for Solyndra, it’s too bad that it failed, but it is a bump on the road to clean energy. The unfortunate part is that the R&D that American engineers developed will be utilized by China. Maybe we should have held on a little longer. This story, too, has bipartisan roots — George W. Bush signed the bill, which launched the Energy Department’s first loan program and Solyndra was selected as the first of 143 applicants to receive it.

Gail Bjorkman, Redmond