Cost-cutting Republicans should make symbolic gesture

To the editor:

The results of the election are in and Republicans nationwide are justifiably ecstatic. At last we will have fiscal responsibility.

As a first step, Speaker-elect John Boehner has proposed rolling back the federal budget to its 2008 level. That's a good first step, but not nearly good enough.

That rollback is but a drop in the bucket in comparison to our current deficits. More cuts are needed and that means taking a meat ax to Medicare, Social Security and defense expenditures, which combined represent about 65 percent of the federal budget.

But to start -- and as a gesture of good faith to a suffering electorate -- I call upon our Republican congressmen and women to voluntarily roll back their own salaries to 2008 levels. It won't amount to much in terms of putting a dent in the deficit but it would be a marvelous symbolic gesture and demonstrate Republican solidarity with the American people.

Doing so is simply good leadership, and one that I will use as a litmus test next election cycle.

Henry Schmidt

LAs Vegas

Vital needs

To the editor:

The Review-Journal ran a recent article stating that while our governor-elect will most certainly not raise taxes, he may take as much as 15 percent of the money currently used for education and redistribute it in his budget planning. If he actually does this, he will provide Nevada voters and parents with the ultimate example of Republican "principles" and "ideology."

So, when faced with a further gutting of an already decimated education system, he will most certainly do it rather than impose taxes on the flourishing entities currently operating in Las Vegas -- yes, I said flourishing. Do not take my word for it. Look at mining and gaming revenues going back six months. Look at the casino taxes paid in Nevada versus New Jersey or any other state.

The required tax increase for putting education back where it belongs -- against their earnings -- would be the equivalent of spit in the ocean.

Brian Sandoval is a Republican, for sure, but he is also a man with children and he is a Nevadan. How is it possible that one of us, a man with his own family, would actually put party loyalty ahead of our children's welfare? The answer is, of course, that he chooses the Republican principles and ideology bunch.

At this point in time, the notion that anyone would take more from our education funds rather than tax those who benefit from being here is outrageous. For someone we elected to take care of us to do this, it is beyond wrong.

As our governor-elect loves to invoke the memory of Kenny Guinn and associate himself with him, he should remember what made Mr. Guinn great -- he focused on who he was there to take care of. For him, meeting our needs through taxation was not politics, it was morality.

Jim Cassidy

Henderson

Speech issues

To the editor:

The Las Vegas City Council is once again trying to draft an ordinance to regulate activity at the Fremont Street Experience mall downtown in an attempt to come up with one that doesn't infringe on free speech and the right to assemble.

Isn't this the same problem that the council under former Mayor Jan Jones used way back in 1995 to originally close off Fremont Street from traffic? They were trying to eliminate what they considered the "wrong" element and upgrade downtown -- even though the T-shirt shops, etc., were bringing in good tax revenue for the city.

I haven't noticed one "improvement" in all the experiments downtown that has added any more to the city's coffers than what was previously coming in, and that includes the new aerial swing which totally distracts from the neon canopy.

So all these years down the road and all that tax money wasted and there are still street vendors and performers and solicitors. The only difference seems to be the continuing lack of profitability and desirability of the area.

KENT RISCHLING

LAS VEGAS

Liberals good

To the editor:

In his Nov. 7 column ("Let's give thumbs up for no more political commercials"), John L. Smith delivers his standard pro-everything liberal bias, as he blasts everything conservative. Oh, yes, he does give props to those RINOs (Sig Rogich and Bill Raggio) who betrayed their party and supported Harry Reid. All in all, it was the same partisan drivel we've come to expect from Mr. Smith over the years.

My question: Why isn't Mr. Smith's column on the editorial page? He delivers no "news," just his undeviating worldview that liberals are good and conservatives are bad.

DAVE DOWNER

HENDERSON

Man crush

To the editor:

Last Sunday, John L. Smith, a very talented columnist, wrote how grateful he is that the elections are now over, and we won't be inundated with those hundreds of mailers and all of those television commercials.

While I could not agree more, perhaps hopefully we also won't be subjected any longer to Mr. Smith's obvious man crush on Harry Reid.

As a matter of fact, why don't the two of them just go away together? Sure would make my day.

JOHN CAMPBELL

Las Vegas