Letters for January 10, 2019

The business solution

Win-win solutions are best. If Congress won’t fund the border wall, the White House should pursue private funding. Since every other TV commercial is for insurance, banking or credit cards — solicit All-State, State Farm, Geico, Esurance, Progressive, Wells Fargo and Capital One to sponsor portions of the wall. On the Mexican-facing side, pitch beer companies: Corona, Modelo, Dos Equis.

Result: President declares victory, Congress moves on to more vital issues, companies get advertising and tax write-offs, government employees go back to work.

You have a better solution? What’s in your wallet?

Michael Sion

Reno

Designing letter

Re “Interior design” (news, Dec. 27):

I read your political news avidly. On environment, you are often acute. Not so much here.

First key question: Why would Catherine Cortez Masto give “her blessing to Heller taking over at Interior,” when he stands for everything she and fellow democrats believe should be upheld from the Obama administration.

Second key question: Who in their right mind would imagine that “ the Nevada Department of Wildlife, which was once a hunting and fishing agency . . . became an environmental agency in the 1970s.” Look at who runs it.

Third key question: It is not enough to say Nevadans are “for” Monuments. Which Monuments do Nevadans support, and administered by which agencies and/or Native American constituents? Do Nevadans really care about Navajos and Utes in Utah, or Paiutes/Shoshones in Nevada?

Fourth question: If gender and sexual discrimination is in the Interior mix, is this to be understood as a problem before or after the Trumpers took over Interior, or is it just a continuing problem?

Fifth question: how can one distinguish Heller’s views on the environment from Zinke’s, or from the crazies that run the state of Utah? I actually don’t understand these sentences: “Heller has been harshly critical of the creation of national monuments, aligned himself with Cliven Bundy, and tried to hold down the size of wilderness areas. Still, it may be difficult for Trump to find a Republican who agrees with him on Interior issues.”

Cheers for the New Year.

Michael Cohen

Reno

Editor’s note: The meaning of that last line is that, given Trump’s stated campaign promise that public lands would not be sold off ("I want to keep the lands great … and I don’t think it’s something that should be sold"), it may be difficult for him to find a qualified Republican to be interior secretary who supports that view. Of course, that is assuming that Trump still takes that position.

Holiday decency

Thanks to all the people, groups and organizations that donated time, money and gifts to those in need during the holidays.

Reno may be the Biggest Little City but the people that live here have very big hearts! There are always groups looking for volunteers during the year. No pay but a few hours a week helping someone else makes up for that. A smile goes along way. Again thanks for thinking of someone that just needed to be remembered during this time of the year!

Jerry Wallis

Reno

Offended male

Re “Power spreads out” (Left Food Forward, Dec. 2):

Sheila Leslie’s commentary was offensive. The take is that men are inferior as legislators because they “tend to see public policy issue as a game to be won.” Her perspective continues with men being more likely to bully rather than persuade.

It gets worse. The “just 19” men in the Assembly chamber (as well as 12 in the Senate) will be less interested in issues that affect the average family and will be uncomfortable discussing issues that are “packed with emotion.” Thanks for the stereotypes. They seem no different from the ridiculous claims of the 1885 legislators you rightfully indict.

David Hamcock

Reno