Letters for November 12, 2009

Letter plus insight

Re “Best of Northern Nevada” (Feature story, Oct. 15):

I recently moved to Reno from San Jose, Calif., and had found the Reno News & Review to be my favorite periodical. This was until I read the “Best Of” issue. Whose idiotic idea was it to have the “Best Legal Prostitute” category? Is this a category every year? I would be embarrassed had I grown up here. This is the kind of thing that the city of Reno celebrates? It’s pathetic. Only in Nevada can a hooker be idolized and written about like she’s some goddess. Prostitution may be “legal” in the state of Nevada, but this does not mean that its citizens want it glorified. She is a sex worker for crying out loud! And you’re going to glorify that? I’ve found numerous articles in your newspaper related to the image of Reno and how people would like it, and the city’s streets, cleaned up. How can this be done if we are encouraging prostitution? How can one encourage prostitution, period? I haven’t the faintest. Maybe someone can offer some insight. Perhaps this Californian does not understand the mentality of Nevadans? Or, does the majority of the population find it deplorable?

Cary Cochran
Reno

Editor’s note: Thank you. The answers to your questions, in order: Probably mine. Yes. Yes. Yes. Apparently. Prostitutes are never legal on the streets of Reno, only in the small counties. By having a Biggest Little Best of Northern Nevada category. That’s my guess. The mentality of Nevadans?

More insight

Let me get this straight: The people that moved downtown in a 24-hour gambling town are now complaining about the noise from the bars? Give me a break. In this town, there are workers who don’t even get off shift until 2, 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning. Now these [new] people want bar owners to close their businesses early so that they can sleep? Please. Here’s an idea: You might want to move to the suburbs.

Cecelia Soper
Reno

Out of sight

Re “This Toxic House” (Feature story, Oct. 22):

This was a very good article on real estate, and it certainly raises some disturbing questions.

Who ended up with this property? Along with Bank of America, who was the other party to this particular financial arrangement?

When we tried to check on the public website for the Washoe County Assessor’s office—all information about homes and homeowners on Lakeridge Shores is unavailable. It does not seem to be a website error since my own address is readily available. Can homeowners or a group of homeowners have this type of information suppressed? If there isn’t a process for this, how does it happen that those particular addresses on Lakeridge Shores are not available on the Assessor’s website?

At any rate, thanks for a good article.

Grace Davis

Reno

Methane’s shite

Re “We are the world” (Letters to the Editor, Oct. 22):

In partial response (a full response would entail a book and/or a bullwhip) to Bubby Coffey’s letter, what part of self-enslavement does Bubby not understand? Putting government in control of all the resources Bubby says government should control sounds to me like totalitarian soup.

Bubby, your faith in the government is deluded, at best. I just want to know how you are assured of entrance into the inner sanctum of power. How is it that you know you won’t be standing in line with the rest of us schlumps waiting for our daily gruel from the “kind and knowing” hand of the governing? Once you have given up the freedom that you now are wasting with all your rants and bitching, you will be herded with the rest of us. Then of course, it will be someone else’s fault.

Wake up and smell the methane.

B. Wood
Reno

Right’s tight

Re “We are the world” (Letters to the Editor, Oct. 22):

On Oct. 23, the RN&R published a letter I wrote. The letter made a case for government take-over of our grocery industry. It also hinted to government limitation of certain kinds of foods to individuals. I wonder how many people believed that I was preaching socialism and trying to radically change our way of life. How many others understood my sarcasm, pointing out the ludicrous ideas of the current push to change our health-care system.

The statements I wrote were factual. It is important to eat healthy foods. We do have hungry citizens in the United States. Obesity is a problem for a growing percentage of people. Our capitalist society does profit from people’s bad choices (as well as their good ones).

It is not my opinion that the federal government should control our decisions. I want the choice to eat what I want, regardless of the outcome. Not the same kind of choice that our current administration is trying to sell us. I visit a physician’s assistant at least once a year. I follow his advice … well mostly. I pay for his service, and that’s that. I don’t want or need government takeover of our healthcare, groceries, housing, or anything else.

If we blindly follow our leaders, we will end up under their total control. Where will it stop? Maybe their reform would help you. Does that make it right? If they force your neighbor to pay for your hospital care, do you really want that money? This modern day Robin Hood mentality has got to stop. Regardless of what he did with the money, Robin Hood was a thief!

Recently, I debated with a friend of mine about “the public option.” She pointed out that the insurance industry makes huge profits off of us. In fact, I have always stated that the two biggest rip-offs in the United States are insurance and federal taxes. We both agreed to that fact. What she could not explain is why she would want to take the power away from insurance companies and give it to a government, who hasn’t behaved any better. The power needs to be split among more parties, not fewer.

I commend the far left on many subjects. They know how to spin the truth and play on people’s concerns much better than conservatives. They are better at motivating people to write or call their representatives. They hold rallies and parades with huge followings. That doesn’t mean they are in the majority though. The majority are those who go on with their daily lives without even so much as showing up on Election Day. The majority doesn’t have time to take off work for a rally or parade. The majority thinks that sending a letter to Harry Reid is a waste of time. The majority will suffer as a result of their laziness! Conservatives need to step up and make a difference or the letter I wrote will be more than a joke. It will be reality and we will have gone too far to turn back!

Bubby Coffey
Reno

Correction

Re “Yucca debate planned” (Upfront, Oct. 29):

We reported that one of the participants in a Chamber of Commerce debate included “Ty cobb, a state legislators.” Actually, it was the father of the state legislator, also named Ty Cobb. We regret the error.