On wasteful overspending
To the Editor:
In Scott Brinton’s column “Saving Mr. Banks’ –– and ourselves” (June 5-11), the words that stand out for me are “consumption, gluttony even” and “wasteful overspending.” Brinton stated that wasteful overspending “is one of the biggest problems that ails our country.” I agree.
I see overspending in humongous, gas-guzzling SUVs, which are on the road in the face of high gas prices and carbon pollution. I see it in double- and over-bagging in supermarkets. I see it in faucets left running full force (even unattended), lights left on unnecessarily, water served unsolicited in restaurants and air-conditioners turned on way too high. And so on and so on.
NPR recently reported that a woman in China deemed the United States to be the Saudi Arabia of garbage and somehow made a business out of it, becoming one of the richest people in China. We overspend and we waste. Brinton’s column makes such an important point. I am sure there is so much more that could be written.
Diana Ihmann
Valley Stream