Letters for July 1, 2010

Reform Nevada’s schools

Re “Runners to your marks” (Reviled & Revered, June 17):

I’m appalled that Nevada ranks at the bottom of every category in the recently released Education Week survey. It’s despicable that less than half our students are graduating from high school. That’s a shame and speaks volumes about the reasons Nevada is struggling economically.

But equally appalling is the fact that only one candidate for governor has been saying anything of substance about these cruel facts. Rory Reid has been talking non-stop about education during his campaign.

The other guy, the Republican, has said nothing, despite the painfully obvious issues with our kids’ schools. The only thing I’ve heard him say is he wants vouchers, which would have no impact on the quality of schools for the vast majority of kids in this state.

Catherin Schelling
via email

Hiding in plain sight

Re “Dr. Angle’s prescription” (News, June 24):

We now have a stealth candidate, Sharron Angle.

She is apparently being made ready for prime time by some Republican handlers, who have been hired to redo her image and her message to appeal to a wider range of voters than the conservative far right.

The rumor now circulating is that she has the backing of a group calling themselves the Declaration Alliance.

The Declaration Alliance, among other things offbeat, want President Obama declared ineligible to be president, because he was born in Hawaii. Other views would be to declare unenforceable such things as the United Nation’s Declaration of Human Rights, the Covenant on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and the Geneva Convention.

Of course, we can’t find out if she actually holds such views, because she doesn’t want to tell us. I don’t know about other voters, but I find any candidate who wants to hold their cards so close to the chest scary.

Ruth Stacy
Reno

Holey cap

Re “Oily affairs” (Notes from the Neon Babylon, June 3):

I have given up on crap about caps that will stop the leak. It just won’t happen. The next best are the holes they are drilling that will intersect the main and hopefully plug the leak. This won’t happen for another few weeks. What I want to know is, what will happen when the hurricanes hit? If all that oil is floating on the top and the storm sucks it up in the sky, where will it land?

George Book
Reno

Censor family news

Re “It’s midnight” (Feature story, June 24):

This was a great idea, and the photos were very interesting. However, I would like to bring something to your attention that seems questionable in this story. The caption on Audrey Love’s photograph gave an interesting twist by the reference to “a guy comes up and solicits us to get into his car.” I think we got it, without the following statement: “There’s no f****** way we look like hookers.” Was it really necessary to use that language in what is arguably a family newspaper? Furthermore, while the picture by Jenn McConnell was useful in showing the seamy side of Reno nightlife, did it have to include the one-finger salute? Yes, it was real, but was it necessary considering that the grotesque and bloody face told us all we needed to know?

Fred Speckmann
Reno

Editor’s note: “f******” means “fucking.”

Bet the house line

Re “Runners to your marks” (Reviled & Revered, June 17):

I think your article is quite catchy comparing the upcoming political races to a horse race. Very clever. However, let me say that I find the races we must decide in November much more serious to our individual lives and the state of Nevada. No laughing matter, particularly when you consider the fact that we are now officially leading the nation in unemployment and roughly half of our students will not even graduate from high school due to attrition. We are unable to attract new businesses because their employees refuse to come to a state where they cannot provide their children a proper education. Our state will not grow industries without educated young people. There is no way anyone can compare to Senator Harry Reid in his ability to get the job done as senate majority leader in Washington, D.C. As far as Nevada goes, this man has done more for Nevada than any one person in modern history.

Rory Reid is a proven entity. He has been a commissioner in Clark County and has balanced a budget nearly the size of the state of Nevada’s for seven years. He is his own man. He stands on his own merits. He is an intelligent, passionate, humble man who has a plan for solving the problems of Nevada. He is married to an educator and together, after much research and thoughtful consideration, they have come up with an innovative plan to solve the educational problems of Nevada. This consists of a budget-neutral plan, which would take control out of the hands of bureaucracy and into the local level, but with the responsibility for success or failure at that level also. It is called EDGE. You may find this and his overall plan for Nevada on his web site, RoryReid.com. Personally, I plan to vote for Senator Harry Reid and keep him as senate majority leader. Without him, Nevada loses all clout! As for Commissioner Rory Reid, he is a mature, no-nonsense man, who can handily take on the responsibilities of governor and do an excellent job. I trust his past history and steadfast judgment calls. This is not a horse race that we can gamble on!

Gail Dietrich
Sparks

Correction

Re “LDS college planned” (Upfront, June 17):

We reported that Desert Valley College is a project of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Actually, it is a project of members of the church, not the church itself. This has been corrected on the web site.