Rebate is a time to share in the state's good fortune

Unfortunately, misleading headlines and misunderstandings led to the largely inaccurate letter by Thom Collins in the Aug. 3 edition of the Nevada Appeal.

Gov. Kenny Guinn's $300 million rebate to the residents of Nevada is an opportunity for Nevadans to share in the state's good fortune, and it is important they know what the governor's plan is and how it will work. Specifically:

n It is not a "DMV rebate." It's a rebate of General Fund money proposed by Guinn and approved by the 2005 Legislature. The DMV's database is being used to identify Nevadans because it is the most comprehensive database of residents that exists. The rebate is tied to the amount a motorist paid in registration fees and governmental services tax in 2004, with a minimum rebate of $75 and a maximum of $275.

n Motorists with a driver's license but no registered vehicle were never included in the rebate plan. The rebate is tied to vehicle registrations. The Legislature did authorize a $75 rebate for Nevadans over 65 who hold a valid Nevada Identification Card. It was a sweeping measure not tied to vehicle registration, under the assumption that a senior without a driver's license would not have a registered vehicle and therefore would not get a rebate.

n The Legislature did not include Nevadans over 65 who hold a valid driver's license but don't own a vehicle in the rebate plan. That oversight is being addressed by the governor's office and the governor has encouraged Nevadans in that category to contact him. It's the governor's intention that as many Nevadans as possible benefit from his rebate.

n There has been no computer glitch at the DMV. The glitch was in the law. There aren't separate DMV databases for driver's licenses and vehicle registrations. It's not necessary, however, to own a vehicle to get a driver's license in Nevada nor is it necessary to have a driver's license to register a vehicle in Nevada. They are two separate transactions and not connected.

Finally, the problem is not to identify those Nevadans over 65 who have driver's licenses and a registered vehicle, as Mr. Collins wrote, but to identify those Nevadans over 65 who have a driver's license and no registered vehicle. They are the ones the glitch in the law left out and the ones the governor wants to include in the rebate. Because of the way data is entered into the DMV's system, there's no reliable way of identifying who has a driver's license, but is not listed on any vehicle registration in the state. It's much like trying to prove a negative.

Despite the misunderstandings surrounding Guinn's rebate, rest assured that there are people working hard to see that the $300 million gets into the hands of the Nevadans who deserve it.

Tom Jacobs

public information officer

Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles

To elected officials: Do what is right

Eve Mason gave us a factual, true statement regarding the serious problem of illegal immigrants taking over our country. She also states the fact that all of our elected officials and representatives (including the Nevada Legislature, U.S. representatives, U.S. senators and our president) are ignoring this serious problem for political reasons, instead of representing us citizens who elected them. All of us legal citizens who work hard are paying taxes that pay billions of dollars for benefits illegal immigrants receive, even though they are not legally entitled to these benefits.

I suggest that every Nevada legal citizen write to every elected state and federal official, enclose Eve Mason's editorial, and tell them you request that they take immediate action to solve this problem before they leave Washington, D.C., to go home after the current legislative session ends. This is probably the only way to make them do their job and take action.

I believe it is time for our elected officials to do what is right, rather than what they feel is politically correct.

TONY MARANGI

Carson City