Powers-that-be fear the people

To the editor:

It is clear that there are politicians in Carson City who fear that the people have too much power with the initiative process, so they want to stifle that power.

Senate Joint Resolution 3 is a proposed state constitutional amendment to require that signatures on an initiative petition be collected in all 42 Assembly districts. The current requirement is to collect the signatures of 10 percent of the number of voters who voted in the entire state during the past general election. Senate Bill 549 is a statute with the same requirements as SJR3.

SJR3 requires that petitioners obtain 4 percent of the total population of the Assembly district and requires the petition circulator to carry a copy of the state list of registered voters. SJR3 also requires that the circulator pay for the voter lists and the maps.

Exactly what is it that our politicians are afraid of, and how do SJR3 and SB549 improve the lives of Nevadans?

GERRY LOCK

LAS VEGAS

Clean neighborhoods

To the editor:

In response to the April 3 story, "Homeowners decry mandates of associations":

As usual, the issue of being for or against homeowner associations comes down to: Which one? There are good ones and bad ones, like everything else.

We lived in the east part of Las Vegas for more than 30 years in a beautiful subdivision. Then, everything seemed to go "bad" with the neighborhood. Trash, unlicensed cars, etc. We moved to Sun City Summerlin, and after buying and moving in, we discovered very strict rules on how we keep our homes.

I was, at first, indignant that someone could control my house color or garden plantings. But after realizing that we liked the subdivision because everything was neat and clean, I went to the compliance office and said to the person in charge, "I have a complaint." She asked what it was, and I replied, "The streets are always clean, the yards are all beautiful, and all the houses are neat and well-kept." She said, "So, what is your complaint?" I said, "That's it. I have nothing to complain about. I hate that!"

Jerry S. Willick

LAS VEGAS

Immigrant contributions

To the editor:

Your March 22 editorial on the recent study of immigrants by the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada made the wrong point. PLAN's study is taking real data -- what contribution do immigrants, undocumented or not, make to the Nevada economy through paying taxes. The answer is $1.6 billion. This is countable, knowable and certain.

In its critique, the Review-Journal is making the same mistake that anti-immigrant number magicians make all the time: speculate on a number of undocumented immigrants, surmise what the costs might be for use of services; then make an angry point with little grounding.

I applaud PLAN's effort, which is grounded in the knowable.

KENYA PIERCE

NORTH LAS VEGAS

Scrap heap

To the editor:

I read your March 25 article about the copper theft with great interest, as I own and operate one of Las Vegas' largest scrap metal recycling facilities, AAEQ Manufacturers and Recyclers. I also read the letter to the editor that was published by the Review-Journal on March 28 from a contractor who seems to blame the scrap business for the problem.

Just as there are unscrupulous contractors, to stereotype the entire scrap metal industry in this manner would be misleading, to put it mildly. The theft problem is a societal issue caused by myriad problems -- not the least of which is illegal drugs, gambling addictions, etc.

Our company is a member of the Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), a nationwide trade association representing 1,200 companies in the United States and Canada. ISRI has worked with the National Crime Prevention Council to develop management practices to prevent members from buying stolen material. They have provided us with training resources so we may teach our buyers how to identify suspicious material. We refuse material weekly.

Though the scrap business undoubtedly still has fringe factions that do not comply with ethical standards of operation, there are many in the industry who have taken a proactive stance and built their business with integrity. Passing new regulations on local dealers that will have little or no impact on the root causes of the theft problem is not the answer. It could make doing business in Las Vegas unprofitable and leave honest workers unemployed while the true offenders will simply find "alternative means" of supporting their problem.

ISRI has also instituted an e-mail theft alert system that is distributed among its members. Many times material stolen in one city is sold in another city. This system alerts us to thefts within our region. There have been several success stories of material recovered and perpetrators arrested. If the city is looking for solutions to this type of theft, ISRI makes this system available to our local law enforcement agencies, utilities and contractors. After filing a police report and notifying ISRI through the following e-mail address, chuckcarr@isri.org, the information will be broadcast to all 1,200 members.

As a taxpayer, I too am concerned about these thefts, because I know I will have to pay my share of the cost to repair these lights. And as the other gentleman points out, we will all pay for it in insurance premiums, taxes and utility rates.

But, let's get to the root of the problem and solve it, not simply put a Band-Aid over the sore spot.

scott j. stolberg

LAS VEGAS

Pelosi's travels

To the editor:

In response to your recent editorial on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria:

It is almost amusing how the Review-Journal uses its editorial page to proclaim a member of Congress, which you admit has authority separate from and equal to the executive branch, is sending the "wrong message" to Syria. How could sending absolutely "no message" -- and taking a position contrary to the wisdom advocated by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group -- be supported by you instead? What are you afraid of? Peace would break out?

In southern Lebanon last summer, your pearl of the Middle East was bombarded into the Stone Age by Israeli fighter jets. After an international outcry was largely ignored by Israel and the United States, the slaughter of innocents there was finally halted. But not before U.S.-made cluster bombs were scattered throughout the region. This lethal calling card left by the aggressor pales compared to your concerns over the flow of arms into Iraq.

If the White House spokeswoman believes the government of Syria continues to undermine the government of Lebanon, one has to wonder what she thinks the ordnance left behind to maim and kill innocents in Lebanon are doing for peace in the region.

Iraqi refugees by the million have fled to Syria because of U.S. aggression in now-occupied Iraq. Thanks largely to a no-refuge policy in the United States, they have nowhere else to go. Anyone, Ms. Pelosi included, who attempts to change such disgusting foreign policy can only be faulted for giving diplomacy a chance.

George Job

HENDERSON