Voice of the People

The recent donation by BP of $50,000 to Ivy Tech reminds us that it’s the time of year when many of the BP’s (BIG POLLUTERS) give handsome donations to local causes and send out expensive flyers advertising how much they have given to community organizations letting us know what good neighbors they are. It is nice for them to distribute a miniscule fraction of their fabulous wealth; there’s no doubt about that.

But can we still count on recipient institutions, especially our local schools and universities, to participate in holding these polluters to account for the damage they cause to our environment and our health? Having received these donations, are they going to bite their lips when these giant corporations poison our childrens‚ lungs, make our fish unfit for consumption, and retard our childrens’ mental growth and development?

When schools and universities take the BIG POLLUTERS’ money it is likely that their professors will be pressured to abstain from any criticism of these companies. The health of our children is more important than all of the Public Relations money given to try to buy the silence of potential critics.

Schools, colleges and universities should be very wary of these grants and the poisonous effect they can have on their freedom to join the public discourse on cleaning up our environment.

Mary Ann Crayton

Chesterton

It’s Not About Making Them Good Corporate Neighbors! We are ‘We The People’. We must write the laws. We must enforce them. There is no one else.

Posted 12/12/2007