Wealth, energy use not related

It should have been noted in Ms. (Sue Lani) Madsen’s opinion article (“Upcoming energy code changes will hurt housing affordability,” Oct. 20) that she is a climate change denier and as such is against any needed regulations to protect our environment. While complaining about building code changes, she obfuscates the source of the dire problem of lack of affordable housing and completely omits the science of human-caused climate change.

The need for immediate changes in our energy consumption is a scientific fact. To state home ownership is the solution to the poverty problem fails to mention that energy consumption is not the cause of low wealth. The real problem in our community and all over the country is that low-income earners cannot afford housing because we have an economic system that makes it impossible for a large portion of our citizens to afford housing.

Our regressive state tax structure forces low-income people to carry the burden of financing our state while the rich do not pay their fair share and hoard money. In our national economy, the top 10% receive more than 50% of the total income, the bottom 20% earn 3.1%. About 30% of American workers earn less than $10.10 per hour, an income below the federal poverty level. At today’s prices for housing, they will never be able to afford “affordable housing.”

Ms. Madsen needs to address that and stop blaming efforts to save the planet. Remember, if the climate collapses, there will be no need for “affordable housing.”

David Randall

Spokane