Letters to the editor for Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016

Weekly poems in Appeal are a delight to read

Every Sunday I look forward to reading Jenny Schnabel’s poems. For me it brings a sense of community, love and usually an enlightenment of what’s happening in our little city.

She can pin a very masterful description in a poem of a business, person or a holiday. There is something about her poems that makes me want to get out and see what’s happening, plus a reminder of how our life can be simple when it might feel heavy and difficult.

It was Jenny’s idea to visit local businesses, get to know the owners and write about it in a poem. I want to say thank you, Jenny, for your entertaining poems and the love you spread through our city with your never ending smile and warmth.

Pam Perondi

Carson City

Passage of background check initiative will save lives

Here is a powerful fact — because of the passage of State Question 1 (background gun checks) at least one human life (lives) will be saved.

Thank you to all who voted and worked to make this simple statement a reality.

Doug Odell

Gardnerville

Columnist spewing venom, not facts

So Bo Statham is unhappy with the outcome of the latest Presidential election. Boo hoo! As is usual with a lot of liberals, he uses partial facts or misstatement of facts in order to support his views. He stated that Mr. Trump said immigrant Mexicans were rapists and criminals when in actuality, Mr. Trump said “some” of those coming across the southern border are rapists and criminals and the facts bear that out.

Mr. Statham then goes onto say that Mr. Trump wanted to ban all Muslims from coming into the U.S. In fact, Mr. Trump said there should be a temporary ban until there are adequate means in place to vet these immigrants and ensure they are not terrorists. This brings to mind the story of the Trojan horse. Mr. Statham might want to revisit this story as it is a simple story and should be easy to understand.

Mr. Statham then goes onto say that those who voted for Mr. Trump are racists. How that can be linked to those who didn’t want a white female who was dishonest and lacking in integrity as the first woman President, is beyond me. Particularly when many of those citizens voted for Barack Obama once or even twice.

David Knighton

Carson City

Once again, people’s choice will not be president

I am going to make this very simple: 60,981,118 — Clinton; 60,350,241 — Trump.

I want all my conservative pals out there to repeat this fact. Clinton received more votes than Trump. More than 600,000 more. It would be helpful if the Appeal would run it a hundred times similar to the ridiculous Ann Coulter rant the other day.

For the second time in 16 years, the people’s choice for President will not take office. I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that half the Trumpers out there don’t know what it is, how it works, and why it was there in the first place.

I’m sick and tired of something that was put in place 240 years ago that is now clearly irrelevant. Jefferson and the gang got a lot right. But they didn’t come to grips on slavery, missed the boat on women’s rights, and didn’t quite trust the under-educated masses. The Electoral College has no function other than to occasionally counter the will of the people. It should be abolished immediately.

If Trump had secured the popular vote and Clinton sneaked in by the Electoral College, the outrage would have been incredible. Cries of “rigged election” would be nonstop. Hey, maybe he was right. It was rigged in his favor.

I remember all the conservative Tea Party filth that was brought against Obama. The birther crap, signs depicting a duly elected President as a Nazi and a monkey. There were many out there that had no shame. That being said, Trump will get the same respect you showed Obama. Diddly-squat!

Rick Van Alfen

Carson City

City officials failing residents with Vintage project

Regarding the Vintage project being scheduled for the Board of Supervisors meeting on Dec. 1 without any notices sent out as of yet:

As three times before, this project is being rushed prematurely. There is no reason why this project should be on the agenda a week after Thanksgiving, with the deadline for comments only three days before Thanksgiving.

For this meeting the BOS and the public will have a fourth version of the PUD to consider, assuming the developer had implemented all the changes that the PC staff had demanded to gain the PC’s recommendation. This means that neither the BOS nor the public has any idea precisely what they are supposed to be voting on — the last PUD package was more than 1,100 pages — and at this point I dare say neither does the PC staff.

Has the fourth version been posted yet? I can’t find it on the PC or the BOS agenda or meetings pages. I know they’ll post it ON Thanksgiving Day, fulfilling the legal requirement to post the agenda and supporting materials a week before the meeting.

Do you think there is something very wrong with a project that has to rely on cheap parliamentary tricks to get passed? How is it in the spirit of governing FOR the people, when they so obviously do everything to deny the people an opportunity to come to the meeting WELL INFORMED, and offer well informed opinions based on the full and complete facts of the application? We do NOT have an application, just a series of incrementally changed but still very unspecific ideas for a project.

Wendy George

Carson City