Letters to the editor for Saturday, March 21, 2015

Prevent the ‘sunrise taxes’

In 2009, the Nevada Legislature faced a fiscal crisis within our state. The solution passed by the Legislature was a $650 million “temporary” tax increase that included sales taxes, vehicle registration taxes, increasing the business license fees, and doubling the modified business tax. These temporary tax increases were termed the “sunset taxes;” they were set to “sunset,” or expire, in 2011.

Yet the Legislature extended the tax again in 2013. Gov. Sandoval said he plans on making these “temporary” taxes permanent. Currently the Nevada Legislature is negotiating the governor’s proposed tax increases; that would include making the sunset taxes permanent.

Our elected officials are in the process of ignoring the overwhelming message sent by voters in the last election. Establishing these taxes as a permanent fixture on the Nevada tax structure is wrong. We rely on our elected officials to manage and finance the departments of state government in the interests of the citizens, not in the interests of the bureaucracies themselves. Keeping taxes low is one of the most efficient ways to help all citizens. I encourage all citizens to contact there legislator to prevent these taxes from becoming the “sunrise taxes.”

Eugene Hoover

Reno

Not our place to judge anyone

Recently, a poem was published in the Appeal’s opinion section by Grant H. Wass. It explains how his current life situation is, and that he doesn’t allow his disability or walker to slow him down. Obviously, he is a real man with a genuine, caring heart; therefore, I am compelled to respond.

I, too, have had some major challenges in my personal life. I’ve had to scratch and claw my way up to get where I am today. I never had anything just handed over or inherited to me. I hold no master’s or bachelor’s degree, yet I still graduated from high school.

Lastly, I do not have every amenity or luxury that most other people can afford. However, I feel very rich and content with what I do have. One of those perks is being able to keep in touch with my fellow high school alumni via social media.

Therefore, the moral of my letter is this: every person comes from different walks of life. It is not our place to judge anyone, regardless of their status.

Joshua Dealy

Carson City