Letters for December 18, 2008

Our errors
Re “Gas-guzzling home development approved” (Upfront, Dec. 11):

Don’t you mean 2 million FEET of commercial space and not 2 million ACRES?

Jessica Morton
via email

Support Detroit
At this hour, it seems Sen. Ensign and others are threatening to filibuster legislation to bail out the auto companies.

Yet, recently Congress gave to the financial industry untold billions of our tax dollars. Without restraint, oversight, or accountability it seems. But our car makers are the ‘mismanaged’ ones?

Car companies build things. Financials do not. They only manipulate money, debts and interest. They don’t make anything.

They create wealth out of speculative nothings, and as we daily discover, this wealth is mostly false.

Financials can’t change their ways, nor will greed-driven profiteers easily change theirs.

But the car industry can retool. They can build wind turbines, solar heat boxes, solar water heaters, and a cornucopia of other wonderful consumer devices which give us so much glee.

Yes to keeping our last manufacturers, and no to funny financial funds. Monetary misusers must be held criminally responsible for misusing and abusing our tax dollars for the sake of their bonuses.

No ifs, ands or buts.

Letting Detroit ‘fail’ will crush our ability for any serious future manufacturing. And if these wonderful tools are dismantled, and sold overseas at bargain-basement prices, we’re all screwed.

Craig Bergland
Reno

Past sins
Re “The kindness of strangers” (Know You’re Right, Dec. 4):

Amanda complains that higher taxes will limit donations to charity but ignores the fact that those higher taxes will be necessary to pay for the incredible amount of spending and tax-cutting the Republicans have done over the last eight years that have looted and crippled the economy and placed more citizens in need of that charity. She illustrates, once again, the danger of assuming one’s own ideology is perfection when in fact, none are.

Rick Cooper
Washoe Valley

Hey, good story
Re “Dirty secrets of the real estate collapse” (Feature story, Nov. 6):

Greetings. I just finished Madeline Zook’s article. It is the most clearly written and informative piece I have ever seen on the causes and intricacies of the real estate collapse, and I have read many of them. Congratulations to her for such good work. I hope she becomes a regular contributor. Further, congratulations to you for running such a valuable article. I’ll make sure I peruse every issue from now on.

Jack Cooney
Carson City

Brad, Brad, he’s our man
Re “Worm on a hook” (MusicBeat, Dec. 11):

Here’re kudos to Brad Bynum for his keen (and kind) review of my CD. He actually listened to the songs—more than once—and read my press release and withstood my rapid-fire pontifications in the interview.

He squeezed it all into a taut and telling 580 words. He was thoughtful and thorough.

And furthermore …

His synopsis of new downtown drinkeries, also in last week’s issue, was discerning. (The mark of a professional: He can take cogent notes even when drunk.)

And furthermore …

As long as earnest and perceptive scribes like Brad and the rest of the dedicated professionals on your overworked staff keep striving (and succeeding) to put a true face on our community, I have no fears for the long-term future of print journalism.

You care very much about doing an honest job.

Thanks again!

Mike Sion
Reno

Government kickbacks!
Why is the press aiding and abetting the deprivation of rights under the color of law?

Millions of Americans have been arrested and their property has been seized for violating the marijuana laws.

Millions of us have the right to question the validity of these laws and are denied the right to due process of law.

Marijuana is still illegal because the judiciary does not recognize marijuana users as persons and does not recognize marijuana as property. Only persons and property under the Constitution’s Fourth and Fifth Amendments are protected from unreasonable deprivation of liberty and property.

Lawyers and judges deny the enforcement of the marijuana laws affect individual rights to privacy, liberty and property secured by the Fourth and Fifth Amendments.

The courts claim no rights are affected by the enforcement of the marijuana laws because marijuana is not a fundamental right. Judicial review is the rational basis test not the reasonableness standard of the Fourth amendment. Reasonable criminal laws are to protect the rights of others from an individual’s activities.

This year, without review, the U.S. Supreme Court is saying that it is rational to search and seize my person, house papers and effects for violating the marijuana laws.

The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution of the United States on Dec. 15, 1791. What happened to the Fourth and Fifth Amendment of the Bill of Rights?

Michael J. Dee
Windham, Maine

Fair and balanced
Re “Krolicki indicted” (News, Dec. 11):

I’m not a big fan of government, and I’ve grown more and more cynical with the passing of the years. But I am a fan of objectivity. I’ve been following the Krolicki indictment, and I must compliment Dennis Myers’ article on the subject in your Dec. 11-17 issue. Along with the problem of rampant corruption in politics there is the equally alarming problem of politics becoming so nasty that people of integrity are avoiding it. Add to that the fact that with most people politics is so highly emotionally charged that attempts at objectivity are usually in vain. I think Myers nailed the issue, and I appreciate his full and balanced treatment.

Dr. Gary Cage
Reno

Correction
Re “Gas-guzzling home development approved” (Upfront, Dec. 11):

We reported that the Winnemucca Ranch/Spring Mountain development would have 2 million acres of commercial space. That should, of course, have been 2 million feet. This has been corrected on the Web site.