Many thanks to the letter writer who posed the creative question “What if?” in response to handling the problems of society (Aug. 7, 2022). Here are a few more to think about:

What if US gas and oil companies paid compensation for the harm their products are doing to our environment? What about requiring gas companies to help fund higher efficiency natural gas furnaces? And why can’t the oil companies help subsidize hybrid cars? They would still profit while lowering fossil fuel damages.

What if lethal guns were kept out of the hands of teens and sold only to adults 21 and over? For that matter, what if these weapons of war were banned from sale to citizens?

What if government could negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for reduced prices on all drugs desperately needed by Americans who don’t have health care coverage? Actually, why not provide universal health care for all, like most civilized democratic countries?

What if all K – 12 schools and teachers were properly funded so children could get the best education possible? Also, why not help fund colleges and universities so that higher education could be attained without going into long-term debt?

What if there was a solution to the problem of homeless people living on the streets of all major US cities? Why does the most prosperous country in the world have miles of sidewalk tents full of hungry, unhealthy, abandoned people? Do Russia and China have homeless people, too?

What are your “What ifs?”

Marilyn Matteson, Beaverton