Letters to the editor, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014

Time to vote out the Republicans

It is about time for us to vote again. It is a very important election. We need to get rid of those “do nothing,” free loading Republicans who are not earning their paychecks and are being paid with our tax money. The Tea Party is no better. A member filibustered and read bedtime books when he was too tired to think of anymore to say, as if the Senate members weren’t already asleep. I am 86 years old and was a Republican a good part of my life until I watched the terrible way they acted at President Clinton’s trial. I was ashamed I was a member of such a group and immediately registered as a Democrat. They only get worse, and now are so disappointed they lost the election, that they have to try everything to discredit the President. What a bunch of poor losers!

Nola Schroer

Carson City

Keep foreign companies out of policy

A recent article by John Bullis highlights a trend for business to move its tax domiciles to countries with more favorable tax rates using a technique called inversion. Because business exist to make money, I see nothing wrong with using this and other similar strategies to save money. It should be emphasized that the effective tax rate for most U.S. corporations is closer to 13 percent and not the published rates that they complain about. This is less than the average for politically stable, industrial countries from Europe to Asia and less than is paid by the average wage earner. Foreign companies should be banned from participating in government programs from Medicare to defense contracts to medical research grants, I think people would be shocked to learn how much money finds its way to these companies via just these few examples. If a foreign company wishes to participate in these and other programs, it can form a subsidiary, U.S. corporation subject to all domestic taxes and regulations. Furthermore, foreign companies should be strictly forbidden from engaging at any level in our political processes. A Swiss-based Walgreens should have absolutely no say in how policy is created at any level. This means no money given to PACs, super PACs, no contributions allowed to federal, state or local politicians and no lobbying of any kind. All companies that wish to profit from our economic system, they can ante-up like any other good citizen. I think every tax-paying, human citizen could agree on this.

Daniel Schlenger

Carson City

Insurance policy should be established for people under 65

I find it deplorable that the state of Nevada does not have a single Medigap insurance policy for people under 65. The cheapest policy I could get will cost me out of pocket $7,000 a year. While Social Security pays me $24,000 a year to raise a family of four. I will still have to pay out of pocket for the wife and kids. This will leave my family with nothing, or worse when I die they will be left in bankruptcy. With this the home of the most liberal law makers, yet all around us the hypocrisy run rampant. For a state that has passed a medical marijuana bill 14 years ago and does not have a single place to buy it is very typical. Funny thing is that once a single representatives person,child, or lobby buddy comes up with something like this the bill will be passed right away. I will be forced to separate myself from my family. I will then amount a fortune of debt and pass away, this being the case I will exploit the system as to benefit my family in any way. It would be so much better to just have a policy to cover the 20 percent Medicare does not pay.

Mike Wedin

Carson City

Follow stadium security evacuation protocols

Heading to a college or pro football stadium? Ask yourself the following question: What is the modern equivalent of shouting “fire” in a crowded theater? Take a moment and consider the proliferation of wireless technology. social media platforms, bulk text messaging, mass alerts, instant notifications, calling, hacking, etc. Mobile devices are capable of transmitting and receiving false information (both unintentional and deliberate) in more ways than you can fathom. The delivery of such information could result in dangerous real-time, real-world situations. People have a fundamental right to know... that if they’re in a large, confined crowd and receive an emergency evacuation notice and/or panic-inducing information from their cell phone or mobile device... it’s almost certainly a hoax designed to create an artificially generated stampede. In the unlikely event of a venue emergency evacuation, the initial order would never be delivered via your personal cell phone. Just ask any competent incident commander. They’ll all tell you the same thing. You use the public address system because it’s critical to reach everyone in a clear, unified fashion. Widescreen monitors can also be used to disseminate relevant information. This is emergency evacuation protocol 101 and it extends well beyond football stadiums. Now here’s the bigger question. Why won’t the government, team ownership and venue management address this common sense, public safety issue? Give it some thought and you’ll start to unravel the catch-22. Learn the truth at Artificially Generated Stampede Awareness Foundation (agsaf.org).

Eric Saferstein

Washoe Valley