Editor:
Saturday marked Valentine's Day. I hate this time of year when everyone is always so sappy.
Love songs everywhere you turn, way too much candy, and a lot more pink than necessary.
You're either madly in love or horribly depressed because you're not.
What's the point? Then you have those dumb ads on TV about "Buy that 'Special Someone' a gift they will never forget."
More like, "Buy that special someone a gift you'll never pay off. It'll sure look pretty when you're living on the streets."
Big hit for the fancy restaurants too. I'm sure they jack their prices up as high as possible for this special occasion.
What doesn't make sense is that I bet half the world's population out there has no idea why there even is a Valentine's Day.
Well, I don't care what the reasons are.
The stupid holiday is just a money snatcher for dummies.
Sarah Trent
Gardnerville
Editor:
Douglas County commissioners must be asleep at the stimulus switch.
According to StimulusWatch.org stimulus funding requests for "shovel ready" projects have been submitted by Henderson (35 projects at $252 million), Las Vegas (48 projects at $1.017 billion), Mesquite (a project at $22 million), Reno (25 projects at $109 million) and Sparks (50 projects at $102 million).
On StimulusWatch.org, you can click on each project for details, and then vote on it.
Maybe everyone should call and e-mail all commissioners and wake them up.
Lee Johnson
Gardnerville
Editor:
The Nevada Appeal recently carried a letter from Keith Berry regarding President Obama's stimulus approach to the current economic crisis. I extend my sincere compliments to Mr. Berry for describing the obviously correct plan in just three short paragraphs.
In contrast, the biggest collection of Democrat control freaks ever assembled, along with a sampling of turncoat Republicans who all insist on micromanaging our lives, have advanced the largest ever (over $1 trillion with interest) distribution of political pork on projects that will ultimately do little, if anything, to alleviate our current economic woes.
Show me a politician who believes he/she is qualified to control your life and I'll show you "arrogance" in a suit.
Show me a politician who is prepared to sincerely consult with and openly listen to his/her constituents, and then apply meaningful knowledge, and I'll show you a true statesman and leader.
We need some true leaders.
Government has never generated a single dollar except via the printing press or by taking it from you in the form of taxes. Most politicians, including Obama, have never been responsible for operating a profit-driven company or producing a profit in any endeavor.
Thus, why would we ever believe that a government or most politicians would have any understanding of finances and profit in the free market? Finally, why would we ever accept the premise that most politicians (or group thereof) are capable of assembling a sensible economic plan?
Pork barrel projects are not the answer. Socialism is not the answer. However, as Mr. Berry suggests, restoring our homeland manufacturing sector and investing in domestic production in lieu of imports, is the only solution that will address our declining employment. Imports drain our economy and provide nominal employment; whereas domestic consumption of domestic products will build our economy and generate long-term jobs and personal income!
Call your political representatives and tell them to get it straight or step aside. Private sector bailouts are not the responsibility of the government. The stimulus-intended government contracts offer only short-term jobs. Whereas free enterprise will produce economic strength and has been the primary source of America's economy until arrogant politicians, and a certain amount of dishonesty and/or incompetence within the private sector was allowed to creep in.
Since then, politicians have interfered with the natural selection process in the business world, and our economy is being undermined by their interference.
Barney Frank, Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi ... would you trust them with your personal finances? How will their collection of political pork projects, affording nominal job opportunities, solve your personal financial needs?
Dick Powers
Minden
Editor:
In 1968 with the deaths of Martin and Bobby this country moved from left center to right center with the election of Richard Nixon.
Now 40 years later we have moved back to the center left. The right and the Republican Party have been repudiated in the last two national elections. We have had to live through a period of divisive slogan-driven politicians. America, love it or leave it, trickle down economics, just say no to drugs, law and order, gay marriage will ruin the family, tax and spend liberal, so many it just boggles the mind.
The message one would think has been received but the last months have proven that nothing was learned. People on the fringe write to this paper stating that Mr. Obama is a Marxist, a socialist yet all the time supporting a man who sent us into a phony war that is now costing America $10 billion a month. Someone even wrote a disparaging letter about Amnesty International. Human rights must not be in vogue?
The conservative wing of the Republican Party say all they have to do is "get back to conservative values." You know the ones that don't work. Deregulation of the marketplace, lower taxes for the wealthy because as we all know the wealth will trickle down and the economy will be great. Don't loan money to the auto manufactures because the union worker makes too much. As the senators from the slave states with the right to work laws and who are in the backpocket of the foreign auto makers, say no to the American automakers. These people just don't get it. We don't build cars here in Nevada but there is our Sen. Ensign standing up with these guys I would guess a real show of solitary for the foreign manufactures.
The Republicans have now returned to being obstructionists.
As a real show of this flaw the senator from Texas held up the appointment for secretary of state, attorney general and the treasurer. The entire GOP vote in the house against the stimulus package, sure too much spending but it must be done.
As usual the Republicans know best. Always looking out for the little guy.
Stimulus package is to kick start this economy, putting people back to work. Yes there lots of spending, that's what's needed. The Republicans all of a sudden know all about economics, Sen. Ensign on "Meet the Press" on Sunday, showed how little he is informed. Tax cuts are their only answer with spending being a real sin after they spent like crazy under Bush. We have to spend money on large public works projects. Will the government get bigger? Yes. Will the deficit get bigger? Yes. To survive, our government must act. The public sector can't do the job needed and deregulation is not in order.
Our congressman Dean Heller and Sen. Ensign, please get out of the way the country is going to change without your lack of contribution. Go work on building a coal burning power plant in White Pine County that will never happen. At least you will be out of the way.
Jerry D. Sullivan
Minden
Editor:
As the Congress tries to agree on a stimulus bill that they seem to be in a great hurry to pass, I'm wondering where in the Constitution is there any mention of all these ways they think they should spend our money?
This so-called stimulus bill is nothing more than massive government spending, and the biggest federal government power grab in history. The taxpayers can see right through this attempt to fund all the favorite "pork" projects of Congress and special interest groups, in the disguise of a "stimulus" package.
The most effective stimulus would be to cut government spending and then cut taxes to put more discretionary income back into the pockets of the taxpayers.
David Thomas
Gardnerville
Editor:
I would like to thank the young men who helped us in our time of need on the late night of Jan. 18.
My husband (Frank Harding) was scheduled for open heart surgery on Jan. 19 - early morning. He started having chest pains that night and I called 911. Some very compassionate young men were here in seconds and took my husband's vitals, took an EKG, and transported him to Carson Tahoe Hospital.
I don't know their names or where they were dispatched from, my guess is Mitch Drive. Thank you very much, and God bless you all.
Charlotte Harding
Gardnerville
