Letters for January 15, 2009

Obama, the Ron Paul way
Ever since Obama’s election, I’ve been reading articles and seeing television stories that talk about all he’s going to do to mend our ailing economy and country’s problems. What I don’t understand is that, based on his performance in the Senate, he hasn’t the foggiest idea of what to do. He’s voted for the Wall Street and Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac bailouts, FISA, the renewal of the PATRIOT Act, and further erosion of our rights to privacy. On the other hand, the Republican Party leadership has had no idea of how to resurrect a party that’s in shambles because its presidential candidate voted in lock-step with Obama. If the Republican leadership had recognized Ron Paul, who all along has voted for the Constitution and predicted every economic “pigeon that has come home to roost,” the party may have had a chance in the campaign. Now, that we have our “change” in the White House, who do the media pundits go to for the straight talk on our economy and our nation’s position in the world? Ron Paul. For those of you who aren’t aware, Ron Paul’s message is alive, well and growing. You can find out more at campaignforliberty.com. There, you will find common sense answers about our problems, and a reverence for our Constitutional freedoms. There is a strong Nevada chapter. We all pray that Obama can find a way to put us on the right path, but in the meantime, go to the Campaign For Liberty if you want to unite with people who have not given up on our Constitution.

Cynthia Kennedy
Virginia City Highlands

Stop bickering
Re “Nowhere to go but up” (Know You’re Right, Dec. 31):

In November, Amanda Williams complained that things had gotten no better since the election. It seemed that she honestly thought that issues affecting millions could be resolved within days, and was proud of herself for accurately predicting conditions at publication. It just seemed too ridiculous to contemplate.

Now she is again whining that things are no better than they were in November and, by extension, that the nation’s problems are the fault of the president-elect. If, as Ms. Williams has often said, the problems of the last eight years can’t be blamed on the president, then the problems of the last eight weeks can’t be blamed on the president-elect! Reality simply does not bend that way.

Members of both major U. S. political parties seem, more and more, to be making statements that all boil down to, “Everyone in my party is right, and anyone in any other party is wrong.” How have we allowed ourselves to become such simplistic thinkers? Do we follow the news in order to learn things we might not know, or simply to gather anecdotes that support our view that “we” are all right, and “they” are all wrong? We sound like a bunch of schoolchildren squabbling over whose dad can beat up the other dads. How can we feel comfortable choosing the fate of the nation and all its inhabitants based on nothing more than party affiliation?

I am registered with a particular party, and I chose that affiliation for many reasons. However, I have voted for members of both major parties and members of several smaller, lesser known parties. I do not believe that every issue facing us has only two facets, the “liberal” one and the “conservative” one. I believe that there is much more to know about our candidates than their party membership, and much more to know about legislation than the party affiliation of its sponsoring lawmaker(s).

I wish desperately that we could all grow up and stop the bickering. It serves no useful purpose and stifles intelligent thought and decision making.

Sharon Zenz
Sparks

Brewless brewery
Re “A new spin” (FoodFinds, Jan. 8):

A lame spin is more like it. I was really looking forward to a new approach to the Record Street property after the folks of the former Record Street Cafe abandoned their endeavor. As a lover of beer, I had high hopes for the Record Street Brewing Company, but I must say I have been extremely disappointed. Sharon Black has managed to once again write a “review” of a business without coming close to offering a critique. Is she afraid to tell everyone that the food was an afterthought, and there is nothing new besides a few predictable beers on tap? After my one and only visit to the new “Brewing Company,” it became clear that this was a business that fit the Reno profile: Start small and if things eventually go well, you can begin to upgrade and offer what consumers really want. It’s a classic model in Reno exemplified by the Silver Legacy’s giant and pointless mining machine. I am all for better beer and better food, especially in the University neighborhood, but the food at the new Record Street is overpriced and generic. And the beer … well, if you are going to start a brewing company you might want to research the laws and get all of your licenses before you open your new shop. How can a business at that location ever expect to make it if the owners continue the tradition of half-assing the operation?

Matt Johnson
Reno

No heart
Re “Healthy Obsessions” (Arts&Culture, Jan. 1):

I am a friend of one of the artists you featured. While I think the piece may have shed a light on a group of people most society does not readily view, I have to say that I am somewhat shocked at the piece itself. I realize that the three artists share common threads: one of trial and one of perseverance. However, the piece I feel is a detrimental piece about these three artists. Their work and their passions are not supposed to raise ticket prices, nor are they supposed to start a public outcry to get people interested in people with ailments and disabilities.

I think what was missing from the piece was the heart. My friend is not a pity case, nor do these people need their lives viewed as such. There have been many things that have negatively affected their life, sure. But that does not mean that they need people to feel sorry for them for what they do that keeps them happy. They choose their professions and interests because it is a way for them to rise above something that may keep them down. The way the piece is written feels as though people are supposed to feel sorry for them for facing their ailments with a sense of death. The lines: “All three are aware of the possibility of death. Studies show lupus patients live, at best, for 15 years after diagnoses. Donathan will be 41 in 15 years—but she doesn’t believe the studies. For now, she’ll continue choreographing dance pieces. Schierholt will play guitar and wait for his granddaughter to find love. And Van Kirk is working toward performing at Catch a Rising Star,” are possibly some of the most pathetic lines ever placed in the article.

What those lines represent are the thought that people need to feel sorry for them. They need the pity. And they don’t. What they need are people to realize that this is art: Art is life. Art is the warm center against articles like this that show them off in a dark light. And in my opinion, they deserve a spotlight of their own, if not because they are all amazing at what they do, but because they are stronger than any of us that complain about the tiniest things. They didn’t deserve this article, and you don’t deserve theirs, mine, or anyone else’s patronage.

Bud Perry
Reno