Letters to the editor for Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013

Shutdown the result of jockeying for power

I am not one to really care about what a president says or does, as he can be overturned by the Congress on anything. My focus is on our representatives; they are the decision makers!

With all the carp going on about the government shutdown and the Republicans being the ones to blame, I decided to check through congressional records and proposals, something it appears the mass media does not seem inclined to do, nor does the general public (low information voters). Sure, there was some posturing, but both parties were refusing to compromise. The shutdown was the result of both parties positioning for power — nothing more, nothing less. It was all a sham. One good example was the closing of Mount Vernon. That is not a government property. It is private!

The last proposal set about by the Republicans was to delay the Obamacare, aka Hillarycare, launch for a year and to require government employees to have to go on the plan. Simple, fair ... why not? If it is good enough for the country, then it has to be good for government employees! But “no” was the resounding answer from the Democrats. Now look at the mess we have.

If you sit back and listen to just one source of news — the sources that agrees with your mind set —you will continually be fed the manure and will believe it and not think any other way. To be well informed, you need to listen to and read all sides of an issue.

Carlynann Johnson Sandell

Dayton

President’s lying will continue 3 more years

I see the blind liberal sycophants are at it again, defending Obama’s incompetence. Blind to the racist corruption of the Justice Department, refusing to investigate and prosecute legitimate voter intimidation by the Black Panthers. Blind to this administration giving assault rifles to Mexican drug cartels, resulting in the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent. Blind to the corporate cronyism, i.e. Solyndra, that has enriched Obama friends and supporters while costing taxpayers billions. Blind to the cowardly and inept response to the Benghazi attack, the resulting cover-up, and the shamefully callous statement of Secretary Clinton, “What difference does it make?”

Liberals refuse to see the unprecedented abuses of power by this administration, using the IRS to target and suppress political opponents. The use of the Justice Department to access and monitor phone and email records of Associated Press and other media reporters, using the NSA to monitor and track millions of phone calls, emails and other online communications with no evidence any of the tracked communication was terrorist related. Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius broke the law last year by publicly endorsing a political candidate during a taxpayer funded event. There isn’t enough room to even start on the abysmal disaster known as Obamacare, but the law means very little to this administration, and neither does honesty.

The president has lied to the American people dozens of times, period. But as long as his supporters remain blind to the truth, these lies and abuses will continue for another three dreadful years.

Dan Cerda

Carson City

‘Les Miserables’ has an amazing performance

Incredible Performance! Western Nevada College’s Musical Theatre Company’s production of “Les Miserables” is an incredible experience. Its production of this play is powerful, energetic and moving. From the opening scene to the dramatic climax, this play screams professional quality. The live orchestra, superb singing, outstanding sets and costumes made this an evening I will not forget.

Judy Larquier

Carson City

Rudeness at store was unneeded, atypical

Recently, I had a nasty run-in with customer service out at the Topsy Lane Walmart. I had a tiny return exchange. The woman in customer service went ballistic,“This is your sixth return this year!”

I have six brothers, six sisters in law, six nieces, and 19 nephews. We all shop at Walmart. We have 1,900 in our church congregation, 200 renters and several thousand parents.

We have nearly 20,000 people in our association! Of course we will have dealings with Walmart!

Rude, ornery, nasty woman! Walmart employees are usually super nice.

Ross Jensen

Carson City

Shutdown one reason Reid should be ousted

With all the news of Obamacare and the lies of the Obama administration, the voters of Nevada should be concerned. The coconspirator of this fraud, Harry Reid, is putting this state and nation in jeopardy through his pocket vetoes of any meaningful legislation in the Senate.

The president has crossed the line of “high crimes and misdemeanors” as defined within our Constitution with his lying, changing laws without congressional review, mandating healthcare. He should be subject to impeachment.

Harry Reid has validated not only his oath of office but the trust associated with a member of the U.S. Senate who is supposed to be honorable. The shutdown of our government is just one reason he should be removed from office; his advanced knowledge of the health care law and its problems and constitutionality and his forcing it through the Senate is another. From the shadows of his senate bunker, he responds with his pocket veto to curb any attempts to correct a law.

Fraud is a crime, and to what degree this law has created hardships on the American public will never be known. The warnings by Reid that no legislation would be considered if it means changing any provision of the ACA puts up a red flag. Public notification that millions of dollars were awarded for Obamacare without competitive bidding is another red flag. The Obama administration is known for its questionable dealings and paying off its supporters. Reid fits very well into this scenario; he always has his hand out wanting his portion.

Paul B. McGrath

Carson City

Convention center would bring in crowds

After a year of getting acquainted as new resident to the region, being a geographer who has focused upon “systems of cities and regional development,” may I offer that downtown Carson City should focus on developing a convention center?

This step (in the downtown area) would synthesize all of the amenities of the capital city and the surrounding area, bring customers to restaurants, lodgings, and gift shops. There is Virginia City, Lake Tahoe, ranches, local performing entertainment, quaintness of downtown, the museum and State Capital for walking tours to make it a pleasant destination. What about the property the Nugget tried to give for a new library for a convention hall? What about the Ormbsy finishing up and promoting a convention hall?

I once was a part owner of a motel at south Reno, and Reno’s population doubled after they built their convention hall. San Francisco is “always booked” for conventions, and the city’s focus is for amenities for bus, trolly and boat tours. The solution is staring you in the face, Carson City, and you could make so much of what you already have here.

Patricia Rowbottom

Carson City

Assess quality of life in a region on a scale

This is just a rough draft concept of how to correct all that is wrong with the U.S. government. A Constitutional amendment competition whereby high school civics classes develop and write an amendment that results in a cash reward to the wining high school. The high schools are challenged to write a Constitutional amendment that would result in all elected and government employees pay and benefits; travel, medical and bonuses to be included in the salary calculation which would be directly connected to the quality of life in the USA.

Quality of life would be accessed on a scale. This scale for quality of life would include such items as employment, peace, tax rates and size of government. It is important that this scale cannot be change but by the vote of 60 percent of U.S. citizens and results in pay and benefits being reduced when unfavorable scores are achieved and pay and benefits only be increased when favorable scores have been achieved.

Robert C. McCready

Gardnerville

Boehner, others have misplaced priorities

Webster’s Dictionary defines a bullyboy as someone associated with a political group. John Boehner is trying very hard to earn this title by bringing a vote to the house floor to eliminate the Affordable Care Act and not once allowing a vote on immigration reform.

Prejudice is defined as an unfavorable opinion. Congress seems to have this regarding the president since they fight against everything he tries to do.

Wisconsin wants to pass a law requiring women to get their employer’s permission to obtain birth control. Texas closed Planned Parenthood facilities. Somehow they believe that forcing women to give birth to children that they do not want and cannot afford is more important than smaller classrooms, affordable housing, creating jobs or rebuilding our deteriorating infrastructure.

Congress is sill questioning what happened in Benghazi while thousands have their food stamps cut, jobs sent overseas, or are unable to live here legally because they were brought into this country illegally as children. The top 10 percent cannot have their taxes increased because it is more vital to cut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.

I wonder if I would be enjoying the benefits of Medicare if computers were the only way to enroll in it. In many states, governors are refusing to support the Affordable Care Act or help residents to enroll in it. Prejudice or bullying, you decide.

Every day I am thankful for Medicare. Years ago, bullyboys called it socialism. Perhaps it is, but as a senior citizen, I am grateful that they were not listened to.

Jeanne Larson

Wellington

heg heg

How quickly we forget! Does the present administration remember Pearl Harbor? Two Japanese envoys sat in Cordell Hull’s office to discuss relations with the United States while the Japanese fleet and its aircraft bombed Pearl Harbor.

We must also remember the nonaggression pacts that Hitler’s regime in Germany signed with Poland and Russia. So, now we sign on to lower sanctions with Iran and to allow them to enrich uranium. They have more oil (thanks to the U.S.) than they know what to do with.

This Episcopalian grandmother’s heart goes out to Israel and its people and to all Christian nations also!

Doris Stephens

Stagecoach

heg heg

A small group of elected officials in Congress is currently leading the effort to find common ground on a budget proposal to avoid a repeat of the federal government shutdown and prevent sequestration in the coming years. Those are goals many Americans support. But how we get there could have devastating effects right here in Nevada.

Among the proposals under consideration is an extension of the three-year federal employee pay freeze and a cut in take-home pay for federal employees through an increase in federal retirement contributions. If the committee is unable to agree on a path forward, then more furloughs of vital federal workers are almost sure to occur.

Many people think that federal employees are concentrated in the Washington, D.C. area, but the truth of the matter is that over 85 percent live and work outside D.C. The federal government is one of our state’s largest employers. So, when you cut the paychecks on Nevada’s middle-class federal employees, you’re also harming our state’s economy and local businesses.

I urge Nevada’s members of Congress to reject these proposals which would take millions of dollars away from our local economy next year and weaken our federal workforce for years to come.

Charles Brinkman

Stagecoach

heg heg

McAdoo’s columns always chafe me, as he bases them on theories and half-truths. As I’ve learned in plane geometry, that just doesn’t work. He states that “ultra-conservatives” and creationists disown landing on the moon and believe the earth is flat. If McAdoo seriously believes that Christians think the earth is flat because a few deranged cultists decided it was so, he has a severe lack of common sense. Following that logic, we know that water is impossible to drink because cyanide, strychnine, and ricin are known to be water soluble. On the Apollo 8 flight, Anders, Lovell, and Borman read the first 10 verses of Genesis. Buzz Aldrin, one of the three Apollo 11 astronauts, performed Christian communion before leaving the landing module. Because of this, NASA was sued by Murray O’Hair.

His articles are nothing more or less than liberal dogma laced with half-truths. McAdoo points his finger at “ultra conservatives” in another fashion — he claims they want to change science and history. He’s right! But what he doesn’t bother to add is that they want to change it back to the science and history that got us to the moon. The story of history and science which is currently being preached in public schools was instituted after Sputnik was launched on the basis that the Russians were beating us in the space race. Although the ideologies from “Grandmother’s apron” got us to the moon, the system instituted was given credit for the victory.

Matthew Woodruff

Fallon