Letters for June 18, 2009

Where’s the local love?

I have found out some facts that are interesting to me as a local business owner. and I believe would be interesting to other companies, Chamber of Commerce members and local business.

The Sparks Chamber of Commerce is offering a Greece 2009 trips with a company that is not local or even in this state. The “Buy Local, Support NV” is apparently just a slogan and not anything they stand behind. They are using a company from Fresno; this company does not have a Nevada Sellers of Travel license nor is it USTOA, (United States Tour Operators Association). This company is not even part of the Better Business Bureau locally. This company is less than 10 years old, has no licensing in the state of Nevada and was chosen without local business assistance and with strictly an eye on how much the chamber could make in profit per person. No commitment to the local business or community. That the chamber jumped into the travel business without partnering with a local company is a slap in the face to the motto “buy local” and to the locals who live and work here.

Jeannifer Brady
Travel At Caughlin Ranch, Reno

More to Angie

Re “More to hip hop” (Letters to the Editor, June 4):

It was pretty funny that Dennis Cole mentioned that he would rather see Bonafide Hustlas when Angie Compton actually had one of their members on her show. I have lived in Reno for several years, I have heard of all the bands that you mentioned—like J1 and Key Ringz—and they have received their exposure. Is that not good enough for them? Angie has her own songs; she does not take mix tape lyrics and use it as her own like others. If you have listened to the music that Angie puts out, you will notice that she doesn’t put down women, talk about killing or represent a hood. All her music is completely for fun, party and clubs, so how can you compare her to a lot of artists that are in the same categories themselves when her shit is totally different? Reno has enough gang violence and rapes, why do they need to bring that out in their lyrics? I think that it is important that they put a female in the scene for a change. I have not met Angie, but I would love to meet Angie because she’s an inspiration to women.

Lindsay Parra
Reno

The helpful hardware bros

Since I know the RN&R encourages readers to buy local, I wanted to share a local business that everyone should know about. I have no interest in the business personally and nothing to gain by giving them attention, other than hoping they flourish and stick around for a nice long time because I enjoy shopping there. (Well, and as a local business owner myself, promoting the “buy local” movement is self-promoting, I guess.)

The business is Carter Bros. Ace Hardware on South Virginia Street. I needed something the big box store slightly closer to my home would have to special order. I could order it myself online, but didn’t want to wait for (or pay for) shipping, so I called Ace. They had what I needed, at just a little bit more expensive than the big box. It was worth it in all respects. I got better customer service quicker than it would have taken to hunt down an employee at the big chain store. I felt like I had stepped back in time, wandering the aisles of the neighborhood, family-owned hardware store, where the floors creak and the basement is full of nuts and bolts, and you can find a little bit of everything around every turn. And I felt great, knowing my money is going to a local business run by local folks.

Even if it’s a tiny bit farther from my house and a bit more expensive than the big box home improvement stores, my business goes to Ace as long as they have what I need. I love my new neighborhood hardware store.

Marc Tiar
Reno

And?

Re “You Write the Songs” (Editor’s Note, June 4):

Oh god. You’ve given Sam Dehne another avenue to promote his awful band.

Tony Moore
Reno

But the ‘epitome?’

Dick Cheney is the epitome of evil. He tries to justify the use of torture by telling the public it’s in danger, and there is no other alternative. Those who surrender liberty and morality for security, have neither.

M. Holler
Silver Springs

Limited use limits

Re “A matter of principle” (Reviled and Revered, June 11):

Bill Raggio is an old school Republican from before the Talking Point-spouting crazies took the party hostage. At 82, Mr. Raggio has earned his retirement, but he’d have a few more sessions in him were it not for term limits. Becoming a consensus builder takes years of experience, something Nevadans in their wisdom have made impossible. The sooner term limits are repealed the better.

Rich Dunn

Carson City

Shut in, shut out

Re “The HDTV changeover threatens to generate huge amounts of e-waste” (News, July 10, 2008):

I am wondering whose idea it was to change over to this HDTV. This is nothing but control to knock out the elderly and poor people and others in the United States and to force all of us to do something we did not have a vote on. I bought a new TV, and now I can’t get the stations in, so what do I do? No one to call. Channel 4 in Nashville will not answer their phones to help. I have done all I am suppose to do, so now what? Sit here, no news, no weather, no weather alerts! This is as bad as being controlled by the telephone company I am forced to use. They make me pay to get a phone number, they do not give me the phone books for all of the cities, and I have to pay for them. I did not get a vote on this, why? I am disabled. I cannot see, and I have to pay to call for a telephone number now. United Telephone has me the same as the TV thing does. What are we to do now, just sit and waste away?

All our politicians want are votes to do what they want. We are just fools to believe all this crap. Now I sit—no TV and a phone I can no longer use because I can’t get a telephone book I can read or afford to buy them all. Neither can I pay to call information for phone numbers. There’s no justice anymore.

Greg Hewitt
Chapel Hill, TN

Sick system

Re “Obama’s glorious” (Letters to the Editor, June 11):

I would feel a lot better about a national health care program if all elected and appointed representatives of our local, state and federal governments would have the same exact medical coverage that they are promising for “we the people.” Then just maybe they wouldn’t be so eager to spend the money on other things and wind up out of money like Medicare always does.

Myron Wolff
Sparks