Letters for December 17, 2015

Safety on board

As a former taxicab driver with labor involvement on both coasts, a past member of the Regional Transportation Commission’s Citizen Advisory Committee and a current member of the Reno Senior Citizen Advisory Committee’s transportation subcommittee, I’d like to pose a question regarding to what extent is the RTC complicit in events that have escalated into shots being fired at buses operating over the Reno-Sparks grid. Does the RTC actually believe it is fulfilling its pledge to its passengers, particularly the senior citizens?

How many of those seniors can relate to the hilarious Bob Newhart monologue on driver indoctrinations every time they witness, or experience, one of those surreal trips down the aisle? Having been given two demonstrations myself, in each instance intercepted by alert passengers, I can attest to the trepidation and discomfort that exercise evoked. In the latter instance, there was comfort in knowing that the demonstration was not deliberate, because the equally perplexed driver went out of his way to solicit my signature on some collaborative form.

This concern emanates from recent documents obtained which seem to validate the suspicion of a deliberate attempt to withhold important information on a resource that would greatly empower seniors in managing their transportation expenditures, i.e., Taxi Bucks, nor any public awareness infrastructure addressing same, the revelation recently made at a SCAC meeting by a member who had earlier sat on the RTC board that this benefit even existed, would not have been so elucidating.

For the sake of transparency and as a cautionary warning to those dubiously anxious to “rebrand” what we have, let’s take care of what we’ve got. Get it together before some little pissant consigns Reno to a growing hoard of communities all too frequently making headlines that are the antithesis of that zeitgeist.

Robert W. Mulvana

Reno

Incentives

I can’t figure out whether I’m observing a delicious irony or an incoherent government. Maybe both.

Last year Gov. Brian Sandoval gave Tesla Motors huge tax breaks to bring their new gigafactory to Reno. Now the governor has cut a deal involving tax breaks with Faraday Motors to bring an auto assembly plant to North Las Vegas. That all seems to acknowledge that reducing taxes is attractive to business and stimulates growth.

But in the interim, during the recent legislative session, Gov. Sandoval jammed through a $1.5 billion tax increase on businesses, a tax increase that had been rejected by 80 percent of Nevada’s voters, a tax increase that surely will close down many small businesses and cost Nevada jobs.

I’m confused. Which is it, Governor? Are higher taxes good, or are lower taxes good? If lower taxes are good, why did you jam the big tax package down our throats? Was it to stimulate our economy, or was it to give you walkin’ around money to “incentivize” billionaire investors?

Maybe if we got rid of Gov.Sandoval’s huge tax increase we’d see more stability and growth in Nevada’s small businesses. And then why not lower all business taxes even further, like the governor does for billionaires?

Robert R. Kessler

Las Vegas

Ease up

Re “Christian terrorism” (editorial, Dec. 10):

I enjoy your publication. It’s fun. It’s enlightening. It’s entertaining. I have to tell you though that the editorial titled “Christian terrorism”—on which I did not see a byline—was extremely disturbing. In the second paragraph, citizens of our country who belong to the Republican or conservative side of our political system were referred to as the “loon right.”

How on this good earth (and I refrain from saying God’s good earth though I believe in God. I have the utmost respect for my friends who do not.) can an editorial claiming to be a cry for common sense and tolerance disrespect its fellow citizens like that? I call for RN&R to be a shining light in this media blitz of personal attacks and name calling, and be more discerning in its own language.

If the good people of our country could refrain from that kind of juvenile and immature behavior, and engage in lively factual debate—and to give credit where credit is due, the editorial was packed with valuable and factual information—our country wouldn’t be immersed in the kind of intolerance-based violence it is today. Showing each other respect, regardless of a persons religious beliefs or political persuasions is what our great country is founded on! Let’s all change the atmosphere of our society by changing the conversation, and the debate to one of respect. Passion? By all means! Name calling? Come on, America, be the leaders we are, and were meant to be in the world.

Faith Ann Walker

Reno