Letters for March 24, 2005

Bleulion had its BleuBenefit fund raiser on March 3 and 4, and it was a success. We reached our goal of $6,000 and can sleep well knowing that the community supports what we artists are doing in this town. With work, the arts will flourish and outshine other towns much larger than Reno. But it takes people who are genuinely interested in seeing something happen here. To do that, the artists need their confidence to be underwritten by you. Bleulion’s confidence has been underwritten by many people, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank a few of them.

Reno Gazette-Journal and Reno News & Review had absolutely beautiful articles about us the week before the show, and those choice words were vital. KTHX 100.1 aided the cause, and Reno Renaissance on our public access channel gave Bleulion a TV face. Thanks to Christine Fey and Jill Berryman and her Sierra Arts team. Thanks to the lovable Sara Gray at UNR’s Sheppard Gallery and very special thanks to our ham of Reno, Howard Rosenberg, a true natural. Thanks to Steven High from the Nevada Museum of Art for giving our mission important status and to Selix Formalwear for making us look downright good! Also thanks to Silver Peak and Gallery Cui-Ui, who were behind us when we said, “Let’s get ’em drunk,” and to Camelot Party Rental, who made the evening special with the red-carpet treatment. And Jasmine’s mom, Charity, fed the masses with delectable treats, thank you. Those of you who donated cash to our cause, I’d like to thank you from Bleulion and the artists.

And lastly, if it wasn’t for the donors of 100 pieces of art, our gallery would have died with last week’s KFC leftovers. The artists in this town are the warmest and most intelligent people you’ll meet, and we are nothing without them. Trust the artists, they are leaders.

Chad, Amy, Max & Zak
Reno

Support art
The Arts are extremely important to the survival of the spirit of man and to the encouragement of free thought and free expression. The ARTS are everything.

The rich gravitate to the arts when designing their magnificent homes, from the tile work to the wall texture to the paintings to the furnishings. Cooking is art. Relaxation and tranquility in listening to music or reading a book written by an author who has had the freedom to express herself is a joy to all of us.

The ARTS are everything.

Government is designed for the people. Are the people of government creating their own demise by eliminating the things they crave most? I find this self-defeating behavior.

Funding for the ARTS is necessary for the spiritual salvation of our nation and to keep the United States in the forefront of technology, business principles and innovative thought. New ideas and concepts are necessary to our survival

The ARTS are not for the few. The ARTS are for the many, and if funding is needed, I can’t see why the previous promises made by President Bush are not recognized and the funds not delivered.

The change that is necessary in our nation and the world will come from those individuals who have the vision to imagine and to explore their creative side, to express themselves freely and just to be who they are.

Carol Foldvary-Anderson
Reno

Hold off on Social Security
Re “Let’s be honest about Social Security” (RN&R, Right Hook, Feb. 17)

Lately, Social Security reform has been a hot topic in the media. Many people feel that if Social Security was privatized, there would be less waste of money on those who didn’t contribute to the fund in the first place. There’s nothing wrong with this idea, but keep in mind the current system is working even if it is not totally efficient.

The only thing we have to worry about here is the cost. Since Bush has been in office, his administration has cut $3.12 trillion from total revenue, the largest tax cuts in history. In 26 months, according to the Washington Post, we went from a $5.6 trillion dollar 10-year budget surplus into a $4 trillion national deficit. We can’t afford the transitional costs to privatize Social Security.

Now Bush proposes to cut taxes even more. This, combined with $2.5 trillion more dollars spent from the transitional costs to privatize Social Security, would not be very smart at all. Without the proposed tax cuts, the country would end up in debt for about $5.8 trillion dollars by 2013, the New York Times reported.

If this estimate were true, that would mean every American citizen owes the government almost $30,000. For all you Bush supporters, I hope your children like that $30,000 “birth tax” placed on them when they’re born.

We should hold off on reforming Social Security and focus on reducing our debt into a surplus, so we can afford this change. Borrowing trillions of dollars, using it, and having nothing to show for it isn’t good for the economy. Reid was right, “Let’s be careful and take the time needed to do this right.”

Zachary F. Lolley
Reno