LETTERS: Why should disgraced judge still get paid?

To the editor:

Elizabeth Halverson has been suspended from the bench by the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline but still gets paid (Review-Journal, Thursday). If this individual can't perform the service she is paid to perform, why is it that the taxpayer still has to pay her $130,000-a-year salary?

Talk about citizens not getting any respect.

BRUCE FEHER

LAS VEGAS

Real numbers

To the editor:

I just have to reply to those who keep throwing out the misleading number of "45 million uninsured, mostly the poor and or children." To be sure, on any given day there are approximately 45 million uninsured in this country. But 14.2 million uninsured earn more than $50,000 a year -- and 18 million uninsured are between 18 and 24 years old, a group that by choice have a high uninsured rate.

Also included are people between jobs or who are working but having to wait 30 days to 90 days for the insurance to kick in.

But what about the children? A total of 7.7 million children under the age of 18 are included in that 45 million, many of whom are eligible for state and federal programs but have not been signed up. For the skeptics out there, the preceding figures are available from the U.S. Census Bureau at www.census.gov.

If we are going to have a discussion on what to do about the uninsured, we need to at least be talking about valid numbers. Frankly, politicians who talk about 45 million uninsured are being intentionally misleading. I certainly don't want to see any child not have access to health care, but I don't believe that we need to scrap a system that is working for the vast majority of people to figure out how to get coverage for 7.7 million children.

We are told to look to Canada as a system we might copy. Are you willing to wait 40 weeks to see an orthopedic surgeon or 31 weeks for a neurosurgeon? Those were the average wait times between referral and a visit with a specialist in Canada for 2006. Socialized health care -- let's call it what it is -- is not the answer.

What is the solution? I don't know, but if we work with realistic numbers perhaps we can find a rational solution instead of being told that a government program for all of us is the only answer.

Frankly, after seeing how the government deals with veterans, I'm not the least bit interested in government bureaucrats running my health program.

Terry Ostlund

LAS VEGAS

Health plan

To the editor:

To suggest that anyone supporting the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program is simply aiming to score political brownie points is a cynical ploy that is dangerous to children's health ("For 'the children,' " July 20 editorial).

Since it was enacted, SCHIP has reduced the number of uninsured children by more than one-third. Congress should enact legislation with enough funding to reduce that number even more -- at least $50 billion over five years. This is not expansion. It is adequate funding to enroll eligible children the program was created to serve.

Nevada covers families up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or $43,300 for a family of four in 2007. Since most uninsured children come from families in which a parent works full time but cannot afford or is not offered health insurance, this is a far cry from "middle-class welfare." Reauthorizing SCHIP, which will continue Nevada Check Up, as it's known in our state, will maintain a crucial safety net for those hardworking families who strive to make a better life for their children.

Finding a solution to the problem of 9 million uninsured American children is not a political stunt. It is about getting these children the quality health care they need and deserve.

Beverly A. Neyland, M.D.

LAS VEGAS

Freedoms squelched

To the editor:

I am still angry after reading the editorial in Tuesday's Review-Journal about opposition to the "John Doe" provision in the final homeland security bill by our "esteemed" Sen. Harry Reid. I immediately sent him a very terse e-mail letting him know in no uncertain terms how I feel about having one of our most important rights and freedoms squelched.

What I simply cannot understand is why in God's name would any U.S. leader be opposed to being able to report suspicious behavior on public transportation without fear of retribution? Do they want another mass murder? I strongly feel that Harry Reid should explain to the public just what his thinking is.

BETTYE GILMOUR

HENDERSON

Public housing

To the editor:

Tax money should never be spent for public housing, for this converts what should be a temporary situation into an ongoing entitlement. If in need of housing, an individual should go to family, friend, church or a charity -- never the government. Taxes should be used to protect society from criminals, disease and invasion.

With too many taxes, not only do the taxpayers give up all rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, they can find themselves living in a state of poverty from the tax burden. When the recipient of the tax money can live better than the taxpayer, something is wrong.

When the taxpayer is burdened, society is weakened and more people live in poverty. And public housing creates political corruption: When Peter is robbed to pay Paul, it's not hard to figure out for whom Paul will be voting. Where in the state or federal constitutions is housing a government responsibility?

PATRICIA PEACOCK

LAS VEGAS

Needed reforms

To the editor:

Historians have compared America today to the Roman Empire prior to its demise. Gluttony, greed and debauchery have become commonplace. You know what they say about history?

Education, homeland security and immigration reform need to be paramount. Many of our children are functionally illiterate when they leave the school system. Nevada should be ashamed to be 48th out of 50 states in education. Make physical education classes mandatory every school day and stop letting kids spend eight hours a day on the computer. Pay teachers what they should be paid and you'll see better educators and better results.

We need to understand that the fanatic animals that attacked us on Sept. 11, 2001, don't want to live peaceably with us, they want to annihilate us. There are no rules in a street fight. We'd better hit first.

Lastly, I am a second-generation American. When my grandparents arrived at Ellis Island from Italy, they had to learn to speak English in order to work. Simple: no work, no eat. Hunger is an amazing motivator. Learn the language, get a legal job and carry your share of the load. That's the way it's supposed to work here.

Frank Russo

HENDERSON