Teachers insulted by meager pay packages

To the editor:

When we teachers did not get our pay raise last fall, I and many of my colleagues felt insulted. We felt like we do not matter in the whole scheme of educating children. When there was plenty of money, we did not get the raise we asked for -- we were given a token raise, spread through several years.

Now that the money is short, we are the first ones who they ask to cut salaries. This insult hurts.

Many of my colleagues, brilliant teachers, are now looking at other professions and other jobs in other states. They plan to leave by the end of this school year.

If the powers-that-be continue with this approach, we will be losing more and more excellent teachers.

I am really sad at the prospect of leaving because teaching is my life. My fellow teachers and I work very hard to be excellent teachers. We don't mind so much what we get now because we love what we do, but we, too, are suffering due to the economy. We also have mortgages to pay and families to support.

Please stop insulting us. If we leave teaching, it is your children who will be affected -- and the quality of education will continue to decline.

Nancy O. Agustin

Las Vegas

Loss of life

To the editor:

On Monday afternoon, we began our Nevada Republican Men's Club luncheon with a moment of silence for the victims of the horrific shooting in Tucson. The invocation that followed contained a prayer for the recovery of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, as well as for the wounded, the dead and their families.

I confidently speak for everyone who attended that meeting when I say we were horrified by the violence, angry that one deranged individual could inflict so much pain, grief and death, and of course saddened by the loss of life and the suffering that has taken place.

So I was naturally dismayed to read John L. Smith's column on Tuesday, which subtly and indirectly, yet unmistakably, blamed conservative rhetoric for the murderous act.

To draw such a conclusion and publish it in Nevada's largest newspaper sinks journalism to yet another new low. It is beyond irresponsible. It is reprehensible.

Yes, political rhetoric has become coarser in recent years, and that is unfortunate. But emotional, even feverish dialogue is not restricted to one party, one political mind-set or one ideology. The deranged will find motivation in their twisted minds from voices in their heads or the desire to impress a celebrity. And radicals exist on the left as well as the right.

Much has been made of Sarah Palin's use of crosshairs on a political map, less about President Barack Obama's reference to bringing a gun rather than a knife to a political fight. My point is not to throw stones but to illustrate that heated, emotional and -- yes -- irresponsible imagery is a sad trend that crosses party and ideological lines.

To suggest otherwise adds another measure of sadness to the Tucson tragedy. For taking advantage of such a tragedy to make an inaccurate political point, Mr. Smith should be deeply ashamed.

Gary Rogers

Las Vegas

The writer is president of the Nevada Republican Men's Club.

Mental health

To the editor:

All these letters, many shrill and pointing fingers, and blaming others who are pointing fingers and blaming. And now the Wednesday commentary from Petula Dvorak describing a forensic psychologist who has "plenty of young men in her practice who have violent thoughts."

Say what? Do young men actually exist who do not have violent thoughts? In the annals psychological writing, has there ever been a statement written that has less meaning? That is right up there with young men thinking about sex.

But let me move on. Ms. Dvorak also wrote about troubled men and women who are "getting help because their parents paid attention and pounced." Noticeably absent was the associated statement that the parents not only paid attention, but also paid actual money.

At $200 an hour for at least two hours a week, for months or years of treatment, we are talking on the order of $20,000 a year, most of which is not covered by most insurance plans. And this is with no assurance of progress or recovery.

Does anyone still think that a poor health system does not have systemic and very public consequences?

Doug Nusbaum

Las Vegas

Getting warmer

To the editor:

In a recent editorial, the Review-Journal states that "environmentalists theorize that the activities of mankind are churning historically unprecedented amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and that this carbon dioxide is acting as a 'greenhouse gas,' trapping solar heat and thus causing the planet to warm to such an extent that it may endanger life on Earth." The entire quotation is actually based on confirmed observations, rather than theoretical arguments.

The amount of carbon dioxide produced by combustion has steadily risen since it has been measured. Carbon dioxide is an effective greenhouse gas. Ten indicators all support the conclusion that the planet is warming: Rising tropospheric air temperatures (seven data sets); rising specific humidity (three data sets); rising ocean heat content (seven data sets); rising sea levels (six data sets); rising sea-surface temperatures (six data sets); rising air temperatures over oceans (five data sets); rising air temperatures over land (four data sets); decreasing Northern Hemisphere snow cover (two data sets); decreasing glacier mass; and decreasing Arctic sea-ice coverage (three data sets).

The editorial also states that global warming theory is an article of faith because it lacks "deniability." The better word would be "falsifiability." For a theory to be valid science (following Karl Popper), its claims should be at least potentially falsifiable. The theory of anthropogenic global warming would rightly be rejected if the indicators above warranted such a rejection. Perhaps a Freudian slip occurred; the evidence can of course be denied by the editors until they are out of business.

Lastly, the blizzards this year are not enough to disprove the theory. During the newsworthy blizzards of 2009-2010, very mild winter temperatures were recorded in Canada and Alaska.

WILLIAM R. FOUTS

LAS VEGAS