Letters for June 19, 2014

Secrecy of independents

Re “Ready for my tax breaks, Mr. Nevada” (feature story, June 5):

While incentives are a good idea to spur on the film industry here in Nevada, there is one caveat that will kill it for indies—the public hearing. As an indie filmmaker, I rely on the kindness of vendors, the passion of actors, and ability to shoot on a dime. Having to publicly share what I pay cast and crew is not an option. In fact, it’s specifically forbidden in our contracts.

That is one reason why I moved my reality TV show, designed to showcase Reno as an awesome place to film, to Los Angeles. Budget-wise, without the incentives and local support, it made no sense to force the production here, when shooting in LA was far easier. Reno lost a great branding opportunity because of this little snafu with the rules.

Will I bring the show back to Reno if they fix the issue? At this point, we are now firmly entrenched in LA. The way to get projects here is to welcome and nurture them. That is not what I have experienced since living here. It feels as if the only films that are welcome are from big studios and that local filmmakers are only in the way.

Adryenn Ashley

Reno

Word from Kansas

What would make someone still support embryonic stem-cell research seeing how it has failed greatly over the years? Not only this, but it is unethical in that it kills human embryos in the process. What adds to this utter madness is that adult stem-cell research, which is ethical, has proven fruitful, yet for some reason, is not supported by many!

Michael Rachiele

Prairie Village, Kan.

Missing case

Re “Top 10 worst Supreme Court decisions” (feature story, March 8, 2012):

This list is a joke for its partisanship. Any list that does not include Buck v. Bell is just not serious.

Daniel Duckworth

Scottsdale, Arizona

Editor’s note: Buck v. Bell was a ruling that approved forced sterilization of the unfit and disabled. The majority opinion was written by Oliver Wendell Holmes. In the issue immediately at hand, the object of the proposed sterilization, Carrie Buck, was a rape victim and it is a subject of debate whether she was actually mentally disabled.

Story idea

A lot of the time, the Reno News & Review is more geared to the younger/college aged community, so I was wondering why there have not been any stories on that lawyer who did the Eddie Lorton case? There have been articles on Lorton and candidates and stuff but not really anything about the lawyer. I am interested because I think she is like 20-something years old. I saw an article in a Los Angeles newspaper that said she wasn’t even 30. I thought that was interesting. Can you even be a lawyer that young? Anyway, that may be inaccurate information but we have heard very little about the person or people who believed in Mr. Lorton enough to take his case. If it is someone who is very young, then I think we should hear about it. Stuff like that motivates other young people like myself and others. I talked about this stuff with friends, too. Or maybe if the Best of Reno is coming up that could be a way to talk to her? Or however you guys do that.

Alysha McNaughton

by email

It’s Clive’s fault

I was curious why the letters from May 22 are not online as I cited one “Bundy has a point” in a paper for my TMCC class and now have no proof. I would appreciate it if this was resolved and posted. Thank you.

Al Pink

by email

Editor’s note: The problem is now corrected. We apologize and will happily write a note to your teacher if needed.

Bush still takes the rap

Re “Change in the weather” (Right Hook, Sept. 15, 2005):

[On columnist Michael Lafferty’s column on Hurricane Katrina:] OK, I agree with everything you said. True, people should’ve left when they were told to evacuate, but you have to remember we have been down this road a few times—hurricanes Betsy, Camille, Andrew—that we were told to evacuate and stayed. My mother and sisters evacuated, but my dad and brothers stayed. It scared the crap out of my brothers and myself, but we stayed because of looting afterwards. I was too young to know any better or I would have gone with the girls.

What I didn’t appreciate was Bush calling us refugees on national television. Refugees, if I’m not mistaken, are from another country. My mom and dad, brother and sisters, were born and raised in New Orleans and yes, we have some incompetents and imbeciles for politicians in Louisiana and Washington, D.C. And to let people set out in a blistering sun for four days without water or anything was totally incompetent. Thank God for Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee. They came to the rescue before the government could ever respond. Now, that’s sad. We respond quicker to other countries’ needs than we do to our own needs.

Don Puzzio

Murrieta, Calif.

Go-carts vs. health care

Re “Health care isn’t free” (Letters, May 29):

I first paid FICA tax when I was 14. So I was giving “free” health care to old people, when I could have been acquiring private property with that money—Mad Magazine and go-carts. I’ve been paying FICA and/or self-employment tax ever since. I’ve never felt resentful that other people benefit from my contribution. Are you jealous when someone else hits the cancer “bingo!” and gets to collect on your premiums?

Our health care system has long been a convoluted mess. Providers and payment schemes of every size and kind, working at less than 50 percent cost efficiency and with second-rate outcomes. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act added some access for those on the outside, and made private insurance slightly less predatory. That’s progress, and yes, it is constitutional per the wildly conservative Roberts Court. We can tax ourselves! Is that news to you?

In Sweden, government pays for 97 percent of all health care. There’s local control and a modest co-pay. Better outcomes with less than half our spending, and no one’s left out. And they still manage to have more billionaires per capita than we do. Are they magic? Maybe they just have a natural immunity to Ayn Rand’s Disease.

C.G. Green

Reno

Review of Grimm review

Re “Cruising for a bruising” (Film, June 12):

Yo, Bob. With few exceptions, you haven’t steered me wrong yet! Heading for the multiplex this weekend. There’s just something about enjoying a flick on the ginormous screen, with superb sound and the company of other movie enthusiasts!

And if you keep a sharp lookout, you can occasionally score the better part of one of those big containers of popcorn. Don’t know why folks buy them if they aren’t going to eat it all. Just be sensitive to the feelings of your companions. For some reason, many people find this disgusting.

Finally, your Bill Paxton reference cracked me up! Does anyone even remember Aliens anymore? BTW, I find my crazy eyes are safer in the underwear drawer.

Steve Walco

Carson City