Letters for April 23, 2015

Good thinking

Re “Middle class attacked by GOP legislature” (Left Foot Forward, March 19):

I’d like to thank Sheila Leslie for her rational opinions and strong voice. I never miss her column. Also, I always make time to use the Legislature’s “Voice Your Opinion” web page. I’m wondering how effective it is? Does it have more influence than an individual election vote? Is this government poll public information? Can we calculate the ratio between individual respondents and voters?

Doug Smithson

Reno

Born again

Not another Republican birther controversy! Chester A. Arthur, Canada; George Romney, Mexico; Barry Goldwater, U.S. Territory; John McCain, Panama; Ted Cruz, Canada. Expecting less Tea Party vehemence when one of its own really is born outside United States.

Fred Hinners

Reno

To go boldly

Re “Space Odyssey” (Arts & Culture, March 12):

I applaud Kay Radzik for her courage and foresight. It is in our genes to explore and expand. Yes, of course it is dangerous. Did anyone tell Lewis and Clark or Columbus (both of whom had to live off the land they knew nothing about), “You can’t go—it’s too dangerous”? No! As a matter of fact they had financiers who shared in their vision of discovery. NASA says there’s too much unproven technology. How does it get proven without putting someone in harm’s way? If these first adventurers were to perish in their endeavor, the lessons learned would be invaluable for the next try. Even though the risks are great, the rewards of a successful mission are enormous. If we were willing to send our young people into war and harm’s way for already occupied lands, why not use the same logic to open up absolutely unoccupied territories for human settlement? I not only have great respect for these cutting edge adventurers, but I’m a little envious. More power to them and godspeed.

John Bogle

Reno

Come for the gambling, stay for the fascism

Are voter suppression laws coming to Nevada? It seems Nevada Republican legislators are extremely excited about passing Voter I.D. laws. Over the years, there have been numerous studies involving all of the states, millions of voters and all the gathered data reached the same conclusion, “There is no voter fraud.” Yet the studies don’t seem to matter. When challenged, most courts agree. Voter I.D. laws are a poll tax. Nevadans should ask themselves, if it has been proven there is no voter fraud, what is the purpose of requiring new photo I.D. laws? How much will this law cost the taxpayer? If the elderly or young voters don’t have the required documentation, how much time and money will this law cost them and how many voters are going to be left out of the voting process? Canada and Australia use Nevada’s current voting system, and it works for them. Instead of making it harder to vote, why not encourage voting by enacting a voter state holiday or Saturday voting? Tell your representatives No on SB169, AB253 and AB266.

Linda Gillaspy

Reno

We’ve got some beach in Florida for you

Re “Reno Baby born with full body tattoos” (Feature story, March 26):

There is nothing better than a creative April Fool’s joke and when I first saw the headline, April Fool’s Day was the furthest thing from my mind! I was totally amazed at the headline and quickly grabbed the paper as I went past the box. I immediately turned to the article and quickly scanned it! I’ve got to tell you—you got me! Thanks for the laugh!

Patricia Casarez

Reno

Cheap schools

Re “Labor gets reformed by the GOP” (Let Freedom Ring, April 2):

I just read the piece by Brendan Trainor, in which he expressed happiness that Republican Gov. Sandoval signed a bill that eliminates prevailing wages on school construction jobs. Thus, it will be cheaper to build schools and, yes, have cheaper constructed schools—the kind you get with the lowest bidder. What’s the next proposal from Trainor, minimum wages for teaches and professors to save taxpayers’ money? And minimum wage for law enforcement officials also? If so, they would all qualify for food stamps.

Hopefully, Trainor is not paid any compensation by the News & Review, as that would cost too much.

Bob Mulholland

Chico, California

Fox News Lies

Re “Borders on slander” (Letters to the Editor, April 2):

It may seem odd to some individuals that I am hardly a “member of the elite liberal progressive class,” as, apparently, some folks on the right (and please forgive me for using labels here, but I do so merely to make a point) have labeled me. Evidently, I have given this impression because I questioned the role of Congress. Seriously, I believed they represented the people. The former and current Congress may not be the worst in our history, but it’s darned close. The manner in which some members of Congress conduct themselves is beyond shameful. Spending so much energy on vilifying the sitting president is schoolyard bullshit. You may get standing ovations and cheers from the part of your constituency that really hates the president, but you’re not getting anything done. And that is why sitting members of Congress should be working to get things done! It is called compromise, folks. It’s finding some common ground somewhere and working on it. Perhaps some of Sen. Dean Heller’s fellow senators can take a cue from our GOP senator from Nevada. He’s far from perfect, but at least he tries to get things done for his home state and for his country. We “liberals” can applaud him for that.

Then I had the audacity to claim that FOX, in particular, will be caught in a lie almost on a daily basis without providing a shred of evidence. Slanderous! Dude, Jon Stewart made a living exposing the crazy shit that goes on the air over there. And Rush Limbaugh reminds me of a professional wrestler. You must realize, at some point, how phony he is, but his antics are so entertaining you listen anyway. Personally, I admire the guy. There’s much to be said about longevity. So, when Professor Rush, with his many degrees in science, says that climate change is a hoax, well, I guess that’s it, then.

My favorite, though, is the drug war. To think that after a lifetime of treating the marijuana plant as the “devil weed,” some people presumably still believe Reefer Madness is a serious, factual film about pot use. This is where I truly believe ignorance reigns. Marijuana is not a threat, and yet, billions of dollars, perhaps in the hundreds of billions, is wasted on a drug war that has reaped wasted lives, families torn apart, and crime. And with this madness we seem to have forgotten the hemp plant–a possible answer to at least part of our environmental problems, and yet, research is scarce. For more than 70 years we have endured one lame excuse after another why we are not taking advantage of one of the most useful plants on this earth. Imagine a headline: Last Year We Produced Enough Paper out of Hemp to save One Billion Trees! Instead, marijuana becomes a Schedule One drug, more harmful and more dangerous than heroin or cocaine. This is what I call insanity.

J.R. Reynolds

Reno