Nation needs Tea Party to avert collapse
To the editor:
In response to the recent letter likening the Tea Party to the Communist Party:
This is exactly this kind of mentality that has brought this great nation to the brink of economic and social collapse. The Tea Party, by itself, cannot solve our nation's problems. But our nation needs the Tea Party. It has accomplished a remarkable feat that the Republicans have been unable to accomplish, and that the Democrats fear the most: The Tea Party has energized the American people against the reckless spending and destructive social policies of the Obama administration.
If our nation survives the next several years by avoiding a catastrophic collapse of our economic and social systems, we will have the Tea Party and its supporters to thank.
Dan Finnegan
Las Vegas
Pretty in pink?
To the editor:
What is up with the newspaper being printed totally in pink (Thursday Review-Journal)? Everyone is very aware of breast cancer, and I would be willing to bet that everyone supports breast cancer awareness. But printing the paper all in pink was a big mistake.
It was very hard to read. If the Review-Journal wanted to support breast cancer, they could have printed in pink the front page or one section, not the whole paper.
Enough already with pink, as everything you purchase today in some form or another is in pink.
Judy Binder
Henderson
Public safety
To the editor:
Regarding the privatization of the detention center issue, I believe this shouldn't even be up for debate (Review-Journal, Wednesday). We shouldn't put a price on public safety.
If we start there, should we also privatize the police and hire Wackenhut guards to patrol the streets? Or get T-Mobile representatives to answer 911 calls?
I can name numerous cases where these private prisons were just not up to standard and created more cost and more public harm than good -- as was the case with the "Arizona 3," where three convicted murderers escaped through a dormitory door that was held open by a rock. They were linked to the brutal killing of an Oklahoma couple.
There are certain government agencies it would be financially wise to privatize, but it's a not-so-smart idea for others. To save a few dollars, we shouldn't sacrifice a few lives.
Otto Thomsen
Las Vegas
Gold mine
To the editor:
The fear-mongering in Bruce Feher's letter criticizing Danny Tarkanian's suggestion that Nevada should take advantage of the Yucca Mountain site for future income can be summed up in his statement: "If anything happens ... "
This is the only response that is ever given when someone explores the possibility of Nevada digging into its real gold mine.
If the pioneers who crossed the oceans in tiny ships, or the brave adventurers who crossed hostile lands in rickety wagons, had cowered in fear because "if anything bad happens ..." we would still be living in squalor in feudal Europe or Asia. Since when are Americans so afraid to stare opportunity in the eye instead of running the other way because "something bad might happen"?
We have an opportunity to build something everyone in the world wants ... and be paid handsomely for it. Will fear and politics keep us from advancing, as it has for more than 30 years?
Or do we look for solutions and make Nevada a center for something besides a now-risky gambling economy?
Ken Koester
Las Vegas
Voting apathy
To the editor:
I am a 76-year-old middle-class American. In junior high, my teacher drilled into us the right and the responsibility to vote. When I hit 21, I didn't walk, I ran to the polls. Now I drive, but I never fail to cast my vote. My husband and children do the same.
But now, for the first time, I hesitate. There seems to be no distinction between the parties, and I don't agree with either one. In fact, I find myself kind of glad that I'm old and probably won't live to see the great United States of America, haven for millions over the years, become a Third-World country run by the few very rich cracking the proverbial whip over the rest of us.
Harriet Slatin
Las Vegas
Safer world
To the editor:
As a regular Costco shopper, I expect a safe and secure shopping experience. If I witnessed a drug-addled, gun-toting shopper, I would gladly welcome the maximum law enforcement reaction. Erik Scott's family, while they have suffered a tremendous loss, need to understand this.
When an individual carries multiple weapons, makes aggressive, anti-societal moves, and refuses to lay down his weapons -- as Mr. Scott did -- I support wholeheartedly Metro's reaction. We, as a society, can only hope that future interactions with drug-crazed lunatics are handled in the same fashion.
Thanks, Metro, for making our world safer.
Dave Gildersleeve
Las Vegas
Time bomb
To the editor:
I am tired of Erik Scott's family and friends trashing our police. Their attorney, Ross Goodman, should be ashamed of himself. It is just a money ploy for him. Who do you think any of these people would call if they needed protection?
If any one of them were in a situation which required a split-second decision, the outcome would have been the same. It is a no-win for the police. If Mr. Scott's actions did result in him hurting someone else, then the police would have been criticized for not stopping him.
Although I understand the loss the family members must be feeling, they need to reflect on what they could have done to prevent this from happening. The family and friends either knew or should have known what was going on with Mr. Scott. If they were as close to him as they want us to believe, they would have known the extent of his drug dependency, depression and propensity to not act appropriately. He was a time bomb waiting to explode.
It is time for everyone to accept the fact that Mr. Scott scripted his own demise.
Vicki Moers
Henderson
