A letter in the Feb. 5 paper emphasized once again how little people know or care what happens to their money once the government has relieved them of its burden.

In this case, Laurie Nicholson’s letter tells us two things: first a deep lack of knowledge of what methods can be used to meet the tremendous, and growing, demands of an increasingly sophisticated population. The sources she mentions as possible solutions, fuel cell research and solar power, though worthwhile sources, cannot hope to supply our needs for the foreseeable future. Fossil fuel is currently the only hope of meeting these demands since national paranoia has ruled out nuclear power.

By bemoaning the loss of funds for trying to tell the world how to handle its population problems, she ignores two things. First, it can’t be done no matter how much money is put into it, and, second, it’s her money that will be wasted unless she does not pay taxes, in which case she doesn’t care how ours is wasted.

Richard I. Fowler

Penobscot