LETTERS: College debt is student’s responsibility

To the editor:

Your recent editorial about the debt of college students was an interesting commentary on how the Republicans and Democrats view this manufactured problem (“College debt a looming threat,” Monday Review-Journal). Sen. Marco Rubio believes the institution should advise the college student on how much income the student can expect to earn from majoring in a certain subject. He introduced a bill called the Student Right to Know Before You Go Act in 2012.

I say “rubbish.” It is the duty of the college student to do due diligence to determine whether a major will provide an income to pay off any college loans made. (OK Google, how much does a liberal arts graduate earn?) The Democrats’ answer is their usual response: to forgive the loans and let all of the taxpayers foot the bill — another big-government, liberal idea.

What the editorial didn’t mention is how much money we are talking about. The average student loan amount over a four-year period — plenty of time to earn a degree if you don’t party too much at school — is under $30,000. That is about what an average automobile costs today. So it seems to me that our society is making a mountain out of a molehill.

For those students who took out a loan, it might have been their first move to adulthood, accepting responsibility for debts they incur. Forgiving the loan will only foster the belief that the United States, well on its way to a welfare society, will always bail out individuals whenever they get in debt. That is not the American way and not the philosophy that made this country great.

College students, you should pick a major that has jobs waiting for you upon graduation, and pay your loans. You will learn an important lesson about life and personal responsibility, and you’ll be better off in the long run.

MICHAEL O. KREPS

LAS VEGAS

Yucca propaganda

To the editor:

I find it interesting what letters are chosen to be printed in the Review-Journal. Obviously, if it meets the newspaper’s agenda, then the guidance of 300 words and some semblance of factual data is not part of the criteria.

Beverly K. Lenny’s letter (“Yucca a dangerous waste of money,” April 24 Review-Journal) shows that she obviously is a concerned individual. That’s understandable, considering the propaganda she has been exposed to by local politicians and the media for years.

But her conclusion that “if just one of those trains derails on its way to Yucca … we will all be dead or gone and no one will ever come here to gamble” should be beyond the pale for even the media. It was certainly undeserving of the main headline for that day’s letters to the editor.

NICK AQUILINA

LAS VEGAS

Regulating Uber

To the editor:

Bradley Kuhn’s letter misses the entire point of the need for regulation (“Taxi companies’ new service should welcome Uber competition,” May 2 Review-Journal). It’s not about providing service to residential areas; it’s about making sure that all services, for residents and tourists both, are safe and secure. That’s the decision our lawmakers have before them.

Why should Uber be regulated like the taxi industry? Almost every day, there is a news report about an Uber driver who has attacked or assaulted a passenger. Just recently in San Francisco, it was reported that a bicyclist was intentionally run over and another passenger was robbed; a University of Southern California student accused an Uber driver of rape; and women in Wisconsin and New York were allegedly sexually assaulted. I can’t remember the last time I heard of a similar incident regarding a taxi driver.

This is why Uber needs to perform the same background checks and drug screenings as other regulated transportation companies, and it is why Uber needs to be held responsible for drivers’ actions, whether intentional or accidental.

Mr. Kuhn does get one point right, however: It is a matter of choice. Uber could operate safely and responsibly today, but it chooses not to because that would cut into its profit margin. I think our residents and tourists deserve better.

RYAN STERLING

LAS VEGAS

Education solutions

To the editor:

Regarding Jennifer Anderson’s letter (“Education reforms,” April 24 Review-Journal), she suggests that the way to improve education in Nevada would be to make it easier to fire incompetent teachers. That only addresses part of the problem.

The legendary country singer George Jones once sang a song titled, “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?” Each year, the Clark County School District is faced with the monumental task of putting a teacher in each classroom. If we start firing teachers left and right, where will we get good teachers to replace them?

The solution is to create incentives that will entice teachers to come here, such as paying them more money and making it easier to remove disruptive students. Getting rid of incompetent teachers is only half of the solution.

WILLIAM D. CUFF

HENDERSON