Let’s put quote in proper context

In his Wednesday column, Steve Sebelius attempts to paint Assemblyman Mark Sherwood and the Nevada Republicans in Carson City as politicians who do not care about Nevadans who may be negatively affected by the state’s budget.

Mr. Sebelius writes that Review-Journal reporter Benjamin Spillman quoted Assemblyman Sherwood saying, “They don’t get it. We don’t care.” Mr. Sebelius implies that quote came in response to the testimony of people with sad stories who will be affected by the cuts in Gov. Brian Sandoval’s budget.

According to Mark Sprinkle, a spokesman at Assemblyman Sherwood’s office, Mr. Spillman asked the assemblyman if he cared that Democrats might draw him out of his district as retribution for his no-new-taxes stance. That is when Assemblyman Sherwood said “They don’t get it. We don’t care.”

Assemblyman Sherwood was not discussing the sad stories told by people who will be affected by the budget cuts. He was only discussing the redistricting issue.

Michael O. Kreps

Las Vegas

Going green

To the editor:

I have lived at my residence since 1981 and have faithfully put out recyclables since the program started. I have sorted the trash and placed them in the appropriate and tiny red, white and blue containers.

Each week “Dumpster divers” cruise our streets and steal our nicely sorted recycled trash, so most of it does not make it into the recycle trucks.

So why am I taking the time to neatly sort, bag and save all the recycling when it is stolen and does not make it into the recycling truck? Additionally the trucks are marked “co-mingled recycle trash” and the driver tosses all the trash into a common bin.

Let’s stop fooling around with tests. Let the crybabies whine and go to one co-mingled trash can for all recyclables, whether it’s collected once a week or twice a week, as long as the recycled trash goes to the recycling plant.

William R. Kramer

Las Vegas

Police beating

To the editor:

Retired police lieutenant Joe Molinaro’s Thursday letter in response to Mitchell Crooks’ taped beating and arrest by Las Vegas police officer Derek Colling shows exactly why we need people such as Mr. Crooks to a be watchdog for the citizens’ interests. When officers think that they are not only above the law, but they are the law, the law has failed.

What incentive do police officers have to follow laws and respect a citizen’s rights when the worst that will happen to them is an internal investigation which might result in a suspension? What Mr. Molinaro seems to forget is that the police have no right or power to tell law-abiding citizens what to do — which seems to be forgotten all too often.

Good police officers should appreciate citizens such as Mr. Crooks who expose officers who make all police look bad. This is the classic “she was asking for it because she was wearing a short skirt” argument that has been discredited for decades now.

If Mr. Colling were a private citizen, he’d be facing numerous charges right now and possible jail time. But since he abuses his limited power from behind a badge, the Police Department protects him more than they do the public. At least Mr. Molinaro is retired. I hope his attitudes went with him.

“To protect and serve,” indeed.

Aaron O’Rourke

Las Vegas

Getting warm

To the editor:

The author of the Wednesday editorial, “Sky is falling, seas are rising?” apparently has not read the May 2011 National Geographic Magazine article on Bangladesh. Nor the numerous other popular and scientific journals that are unanimous that the climate is changing. Yes, there are a few scientific “outliers,” but you have to ask who pays for their “research.”

Climate change is a fact. Even in the United States we seem to set new weather records every day, such as the number of tornadoes in April. What is happening, what will happen in the future, and how fast it will happen is still under debate. That is why the term “climate weirding” has come into use and many computer climate models are no longer useful — historic projections are no longer valid.

Some countries, such as Bangladesh, are adapting to the impacts of climate change. Other countries, like the United States, are largely ignoring these changes and are not seriously planning to adapt to change or try to slow or lessen the change.

The human race has nearly become extinct a few times in the past, either due to climate change or cataclysmic natural phenomena (source: professor Michael Wysession, Washington University in St. Louis: “How the Earth Works”). We may be heading toward another mass extinction of human populations — or not.

So the question is: Do we as a society want to sit by and do nothing until we are in crisis management, or do we want to observe the world around us and try to plan for the future? The editorial’s author and I probably won’t live to see significant changes, but the under-20 crowd will definitely live with these changes.

Dwight Hempel

Las Vegas

Just silliness

To the editor:

For all the people who made fun of Donald Trump asking Barack Obama to produce his birth certificate, which was questionable, give credit where credit is due.

Mr. Trump got the job done. The businessman finally got through to this arrogant man that maybe this challenge could upset his chances for re-election.

Mr. Trump is someone I would vote for, if he chooses to run for president. This country needs a businessman, not a politician with flowery speech. And the next time I go to the DMV or get a passport, and they ask me to produce my birth certificate, I’m not going to. I am going to say I don’t have time for this silliness.

Candy Lee

Las Vegas