New arena tax would be paid primarily by local tourists

A recent letter to the editor asserted that the Boulevard mall and other shopping areas frequented primarily by local residents would be included in a special tax district formed to help finance construction of a sports arena on land donated by Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. (now Caesars Entertainment Corp.). This is inaccurate.

The arena petition signed by more than 200,000 Nevadans establishes that land currently designated part of a Gaming Enterprise District (GED) and located within a three-mile radius of the arena site will be subject to the special tax.

As the map on the Clark County link shows (www.accessclarkcounty.com/depts/clarkcounty/pages/arenaproposals.aspx), the Boulevard mall and other shopping centers predominately frequented by residents are not within a GED. Moreover, if a GED falls within an incorporated city such as Las Vegas, the special tax cannot be applied.

While this project would bring significant economic and other benefits to our community, the goal of arena supporters is to rely on a supplemental sales tax that would be paid primarily by tourists to help finance the arena.

BRUCE L. WOODBURY

LAS VEGAS

Mariachi class

To the editor:

Your Dec. 2 article about the Chaparral teacher being arrested on sexual misconduct charges is truly a sad exposé. But after reading this, one has to stop for a moment and think, “A full-time mariachi teacher?”

The Clark County School District is in a severe economic crisis — our state has a budget problem unlike any in history. We read every other day about the need to cut teacher salaries or benefits, increase class sizes, or go to nine-month schools instead of year-round.

The district has a rise in schools with high dropout rates, a real shortage of math and science teachers and K-5 classes with 30 or more students. If the district has a full-time teacher with 180 students teaching mariachi classes, what other kinds of courses is it offering?

Can you see little Johnny explaining to his first employer why he failed math but got an A in mariachi? Something is really wrong with this picture.

I have a granddaughter in first grade with 28 other students. Her poor teacher does not even have an aide. I don’t know about you, but I would not want her job.

I have always supported our schools and teachers, but I am really starting to wonder if this school district is just too big for its administration to manage.

Charles Kessler

Henderson

Retirement accounts

To the editor:

In response to Lee A. Saunders’ letter on Tuesday (“Savings plans too risky for workers to count on”), I would like to relate a personal experience regarding 401(k) plans.

When I was in my early 20s, my employer announced that all employees were being put on a 401(k) plan. We could contribute nothing or any amount up to 6 percent of our paycheck. The employer would contribute some amount (I forget what percentage), even if the employee contributed nothing. Naturally, as I was a young buck, expecting to live forever, I contributed nothing.

In fact, the total amount contributed to the account by my employer on my behalf was about $7,000.

Well, I moved a number of times, living in four or five different states, and along the way lost touch with the financial outfit that held that account. Finally, I was in my 50s and happened to be on a business trip when I drove by the headquarters of the financial institution and remembered the 401(k) that was opened for me many years earlier.

I found a phone book (they’re going to be obsolete soon, I bet) and got the address of the company. I wrote to them, explaining that we had lost touch, that I believed I had an account with them. I asked them to send me a statement.

Imagine my surprise when the statement arrived and my account was worth $109,000! That was when I was in my 50s. I let it ride, of course, and by the time I retired the balance was nearly $200,000. Remember, I didn’t contribute one dime.

So I disagree with Mr. Saunders. If our government entities would eliminate pensions and switch over to 401(k) accounts for new employees — you can’t change the arrangement for existing employees — those new employees will still be provided for in their retirement years, but from accumulated value of the 401(k) as opposed to the taxes of those who are in the work force at that time.

Let our government workers benefit from a good old-fashioned 401(k) program like the rest of us taxpaying workers.

David Adams

Las Vegas

Pay freeze

To the editor:

It is hard to understand the recent letters to the Review-Journal from federal employees or members of the public employee unions protesting the pay freeze on civilian federal workers.

Of course the union is upset. They survive as a parasite on federal wages. If federal wages don’t increase, the union’s income can’t increase.

Then there are letters from federal employees such as Rosemary Appelt in Friday’s Review-Journal stating that taking away their cost-of-living increase is like punishing them for choosing to work for the government.

Have these people been living in a cave these last two years? Do they not realize that during that time up to 10 percent of the working population has been unemployed, that practically every job in the private sector — and many in the local public sector as well — has suffered a cut in income?

You will pardon me if I don’t have much empathy for these people who will not be getting more income this year than last year. They should be writing letters thanking the taxpayers for supporting them and their families with a job providing an undiminished income during these hard economic times.

Jim Brown

North Las Vegas