Letters for October 30, 2008

Surprised us, too
Whoa! In light of the current election, I did not know that the Constitution guaranteed health care and housing, food stamps and subsidies, same sex marriage and abortions. I didn’t know that it says I can’t own an Uzi or an assault weapon for personal protection, that all my investments will flourish, my pot plants (strictly medicinal) will mature and that I have a right to a free university education. I did not know that was in there! … Well, if you read between the lines and are dumb enough to put your faith in any politician…

Bill Thibault
Sparks

Our friends define us
Re “The Ayers relationship can’t be undone” (Know You’re Right, Oct. 23)

Amanda Williams seems to think that Barack Obama spends every night in bed with a same-sex person 17 years his senior.

“The people who surround us help to shape who we are,” she writes; they “define us.”

By this logic, Amanda Williams obviously spends 24/7 with people who are feeble-minded, fatuous, and don’t do their homework.

Note to editorial staff: If you receive a high number of letters each week, bemoaning the presence of this “columnist” in your otherwise excellent publication, this DOES NOT mean that you should keep printing her shit.

Valerie Cohen
Reno

Your tax dollar at work
Re “Driving home the message” (News, Sept. 25):

Washoe County voters will be asked to consider two transportation funding questions on Nov. 4. Dennis Myers from the RN&R has taken the position that the Regional Transportation Commission should not provide educational materials to the public about the crisis in funding we are facing.

We see it differently. As a public agency entrusted with taxpayer funding, it is our duty to keep the public, our customers, and elected and government agency officials informed about the issues we face and the projects and programs we provide on behalf of the taxpayer. It would be irresponsible for us not to educate and inform the public regarding the important issues we are facing.

The RTC strives to provide the best available data regarding costs and benefits for both RTC-2 and RTC-5. The RTC has done its very best to provide this information to the community and answer any question that has been posed regarding these serious transportation issues. In fact, we would not be doing our job if we didn’t inform the public of the $5 billion shortfall we face for roads and highways through 2040 or the $1 billion shortfall facing transit services, which will need to be cut by up to 25 percent in 2009 if additional resources are not found. We have responded to all media and community group inquiries requesting information on these issues. The RTC has utilized various media to communicate the costs and benefits for these ballot questions within very severe financial constraints. We feel that effective education includes the use of written, radio and television media to communicate with the public.

These questions are about choices for the desires and standards of our community. Without this dialogue that just would not be possible. As provided by Nevada law, we do not advocate a position on the ballot questions but provide educational materials to the public. We are happy that many groups, as the RN&R suggested, have expressed their support for RTC-2 and RTC-5 and are, in fact, advocating for them.

Greg Krause
Executive Director
Regional Transportation Commission

Subversive choice
Re “From the tiniest ACORNs come the mightiest fraud” (Know You’re Right, Oct. 16):

Amanda Williams claims twice that people voted numerous times because of ACORN activity. I would like to see her source these claims. She also claims that this country has billions of people in it. This can’t be chalked up to a typo error because the letters “m” and the “b” aren’t even close to each other. I wonder if the editors hired her to make conservatives look bad? You know it really can’t be that hard to find an intelligent conservative who does simple fact checking to support their claims.

Joseph Jumale
Reno

Williams distorts facts
Re “From the tiniest ACORNs come the mightiest fraud” (Know You’re Right, Oct. 16):

It’s our weekly custom to pick up the RN&R. I look forward to reading Cory Farley and Dennis Myers. I also make a point of reading Amanda Williams, even though I tend to disagree with her. After the information provided by other newspapers and by television commentators about how ACORN pays volunteers and how it polices its own work, I am amazed how anyone can remain so gullible.

I have for years served as a precinct team member at primary and general elections. Where I serve it is not possible either for a person to vote more than once, or to vote if not properly registered. I am disappointed in Ms. Williams’s grossly distorted column.

Jim Edwards
Reno

Correction
Re “Big songster” (News, Oct. 23):

We reported on reporter Tom Henkenius’s coverage of a Dean Heller campaign spot and misidentified his station affiliation. He’s with KTVN, not KOLO.