LETTER: Big government is a necessity

I grew up in a part of Pennsylvania when the steel mills were running at full capacity. Most of the days were filled with a haze that made you cough and rub your burning eyes. At night, the blast furnaces would emit a bright orange haze that, for the most part, blocked out the moon and stars. The noise these mills produced rattled your senses.

These mills were among the worst polluters in the country, and they operated under the control of their owners.

Home heating was with a small coal-burning stove. This also added to the pollution problem. Cigarette sales were running out of control and 90 percent 0f the population was inhaling them. The river was where most of the people would swim. After a swim your body was covered with black, tarlike oil. The only fish in the river were bottom-feeding catfish.

This uncontrolled environment lasted for decades before someone said enough is enough, and the government stepped in and started regulating the plants. Many more decades later, the mills that are in operation are under government regulations, the air is breathable, the skies are clear, the river has game fish jumping and people are enjoying the finer things in life.

Don’t let the big corporations tell you your life would be better without big government regulation or laws. I have been there and done that. The 1 percenters and corporations keep lying to the MAGAS, and they are eating it up like pie a la mode.