Poll on taxes presents voters with false choice

Nevada “voters would rather pay more taxes to sustain safety net programs such as Medicaid and food stamps than see those services cut,” according to an opinion poll referenced in a Tuesday article by Lynnette Curtis.

However, that is a false choice. Here is how the choice should be posed:

“Let’s say we keep the safety net intact. But then there might not be enough tax dollars to pay for personnel costs. So, would you support a tax increase to give public employees automatic raises regardless of their performance, gold plated pensions and Cadillac — make that Mercedes Benz — health care?”

I suspect the results of the poll would be different.

Phil Palmintere

Henderson

Nice jobs

To the editor:

I just reviewed the pay table for Las Vegas city employees on transparentnevada.com. Now I understand why the mayor wanted to fire everyone and rehire.

The pay and benefits for the city are beyond way out of line. But don’t take my word for it, take a look.

By the way, I want to be a “Leisure Activities Supervisor” for 200 grand.

Scott McClellan

Henderson

Whose fault?

To the editor:

Members of Erik Scott’s family are proving themselves to be pretty pathetic, talking about a civil lawsuit against the police and Costco. How can it be Costco’s fault that Mr. Scott went on a shopping trip there, high on drugs and armed to the teeth, before being shot to death by police?

R. BOWMEN

LAS Vegas

Privacy concerns

To the editor:

The proposed expansion of Internet wiretapping capabilities so that things such as messages can be decrypted is wrong for many reasons. The most obvious reason that comes to mind is privacy, which many people still value and want the government to respect.

A person’s privacy is a key element based on the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, which this type of power bypasses. The proposed expansion would be costly on tech companies such as Facebook, BlackBerry and others because they’d have to install newer networking equipment so the capabilities are possible. The risk of someone breaching networks would be raised greatly if companies had to redo how information is filtered. Finally, this proposal could hurt innovation.

The measure goes too far and must be stopped.

B. MILLER

LAS VEGAS

Fed up

To the editor:

I was intrigued by the letter Wednesday from Carol Kerner, who seems to be wild about Sen. Harry Reid and was upset with the Review-Journal for endorsing Sharron Angle, a “fringe candidate.”

Ms. Kerner, please allow me to shed some light on why so many of us are fed up with Sen. Reid and are ready for a change.

We have the highest unemployment in the nation (and economists believe it will peak next year at an even higher rate), we have the highest levels of foreclosure and bankruptcies in the nation, we have the lowest level of federal funding per student for primary and secondary education, and we have one of the lowest rates of return of dollars sent to the federal government.

Additionally, Sen. Reid states he is all about creating jobs, and then in the next moment states that we shouldn’t blame him for Nevada’s unemployment rate. He doesn’t believe Hispanics should be Republicans, he thinks it’s a good thing that only 36,000 people lose a job in a month, and he demoralizes our troops by stating a war in which they are actively and dangerously engaged is lost.

I would never dispute Ms. Kerner’s right to vote, as it’s a right too many have died for to keep us free. But allow me to question her judgment, as the many attributes I just pointed out are not the traits of an appropriate representative of this state or a material supporter of Nevada.

John Cole

Las Vegas

Dishonest candidacy

To the editor:

Regarding Scott Ashjian’s slimy political stunt in taping and releasing the confidential conversation with Sharron Angle, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Ms. Angle would mildly criticize (not “trash” or “bash”) the establishment GOP for losing its way. That’s why she won the Repubican primary as a Tea Party supporter.

It’s also not news that an attempt at consolidation of effort with Mr. Ashjian’s “campaign” (such as it is) would be in the best interest of overall Republican efforts to save the country. The real story is how Mr. Ashjian’s dishonest candidacy is so obviously driven by ego and anti-Angle motives.

Rich Johnston

Henderson

Rogue’s gallery

To the editor:

Attention apathetic Republican voters: All you have to do is take a look at the featured speakers at the Democratic rally held the other day at the Lincoln Memorial to see who represents the other side: Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, NAACP President Ben Jealous, union chief Richard Trumka, MSNBC left-winger Ed Shultz and Van Jones. We all remember him, don’t we?

Here we have a rogue’s gallery of socialistic redistributionists, front and center. This is the face of the Democratic Party.

If this group doesn’t motivate you to get out and vote for your GOP candidates in November, you must be comatose.

B. BROWN

LAS VEGAS