Letters to the editor for Sunday, Aug. 9, 2015

Fair was a hit

Well done to all who made the Nevada Fair in Carson City possible! The animals were fantastic, the carnival section very entertaining and overall a well rounded refreshing good time for all. The livestock were well tended, covered by tents for shade, and the owners very friendly to educate visitors. I hope this will be a new tradition in the state’s capital city!

Jeni Wolford

Carson City

An open letter to the Legislature

How blatantly you “stick it” to the voters. You passed the largest tax in the history of the state of Nevada. Now you have instituted a school voucher/savings account that, in fact, is illegal according to the Constitution of our state. It is also discriminatory and I will explain why.

You have a segment of the population that has tightened its belt to send its children to private schools, why? Because Nevada schools have ranked last in the national rankings for three years running, according to the Legislative Council Bureau report in 2013. Keep in mind these responsible parents also pay their taxes, the bulk of which goes to the failing public schools. Your solution was to take that tax money (designated for the public schools) and give it to the public school students for a free ride at a private school. Now the taxpayers who already have one tuition to pay will be paying for two students enrolled in private school. Got it? You will have one child paying tuition and another, sitting next to him, not paying tuition.

Don’t discriminate against one segment of the population to justify your inability or unwillingness to correct the problems in the public schools.

I am retired, I pay property tax and I take umbrage that you are taking money earmarked for public schools and giving it to private schools or home schooling parents. Do your job — fix the problem.

Sandra Medeiros

Stagecoach

Government shuts down commercial hemp

Why did the federal government classify marijuana a Schedule 1 drug along with heroin, morphine, opium, etc? The answer is to stop the cultivation of commercial hemp.

Commercial hemp is a very useful plant and that was the problem, it was too useful to suit a number of people. It was cultivated in early America as a commercial crop. While hemp and marijuana belong to the same family of plants, commercial hemp contains only a small trace amount of THC the active ingredient of marijuana.

Commercial hemp produces a fiber that can be made into rope, paper much superior to that made from wood, tough-wearing clothing superior to cotton and other fabrics. The seed produces an oil that is very high in omega-3 and was used for things that we now use soy bean, cotton seed, and rape seed. The powder is very rich in protein.

Who would like to stop the cultivation of hemp? Cotton growers, lumbering, oil producers, and others who would profit by its elimination. The strategy was to demonize marijuana with horror stories about its users, produce the film “Reefer Madness” and then use the public’s gullibility to equate hemp with marijuana as one and the same, then pressure Congress to outlaw marijuana and hemp along with it. This only looks like a conspiracy because as all you bright and sophisticated newspaper readers and television watchers know, conspiracies exist only in the paranoid minds of mentally ill conspiracy theorists you should never believe.

Alan C. Edwards

Carson City

Enforce laws not vote on new ones

The shoddy attitude toward honesty, success, the decline in our standard of business and political morality has become the norm. Every member of Congress swears to uphold the law ... really?

Currently there are 200-plus sanctuary cities, clearly defying federal law. Planned Parenthood cannot sell human body parts, another federal law that is not enforced.

How can anyone not be outraged watching the horrific videos discussing the selling of body parts? Is no one held accountable for their actions? Have we become a lawless and morally deficient society?

We do not need a vote in Congress to defund the cities, or Planned Parenthood when a federal law is in place. We the people elected you to enforce the law, all laws, not what you deem politically correct.

Inga Silver

Carson City

Clean Power Plan article was refreshing

The Aug. 5 article in the Nevada Appeal about officials thinking that our state will be ahead of the game on implanting the Clean Power Plan was refreshing. It is important for our health that greenhouse gas emissions from power plants be controlled and downsized.

With Nevada’s abundant sunshine, wind, and geo-thermal reserves, it makes sense to be the number one state in the nation to convert to these renewable resources for electricity. Schools, home owners and businesses are moving in this direction.

The Fernley manufacturer who received a grant to help fund its solar system is a helpful sign that various ways to achieve a cleaner future are happening.

Linda Zahrt

Carson City

Young gentleman reaffirms couple’s move

The other day my wife and I were eating in a local restaurant. A young couple entered the restaurant with a small (age 2-3 years) boy, and were seated just opposite us. From many past experiences, we were afraid that our meal would be spoiled by a screaming brat. What happened next was a pleasant surprise.

The father lifted the boy into a highchair, and the boy responded with, “Thank you.” I couldn’t believe my ears! Here was a young child who already knew to be thankful for the kindness of others. He didn’t think that such consideration was owed to him. He was aware that he wasn’t entitled to help from another. He was just grateful.

Understand that we have recently moved from Southern California, and I have just retired from 21 years working for Los Angeles County. There, a large majority of people try to label themselves as victims who deserve special treatment. It is truly a culture of takers, not givers. They are not appreciative of help because they think they deserve it — a mind-set that seems too prevalent in our nation today.

Our experience with this young man and his parents has convinced us that our move to Carson City was the right one. Thanks to that young couple for raising a gentleman and making the world a better place.

Eugene C. Duncker

Carson City