Letters to the editor

Thanks to governor, armory is looking much better

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of being able to visit personally with Gov. Jim Gibbons to address the neglected former Nevada National Guard Armory that I had addressed in the July issue of Voice of Business entitled "Curb Appeal."

The governor promised that he would address the situation by cleaning up the weeds and I want to tell your readers that, as of Friday, there was a clean up crew at the Armory and it looks much less blighted. I was informed the building is scheduled for demolition, but with the current financial situation, the building will remain " but the weeds will not be an issue.

I want your readers to know that it was a pleasure to meet with Gov. Gibbons and his staff and I am impressed with their speedy attendance to my request. Who said the wheels of government work slowly?

Ronni Hannaman

Executive Director

Carson City Area Chamber of Commerce

Protocol manual is a power grab

I read with disappointment but not surprise about Lyon County Manager Dennis Stark's latest attempt to consolidate power and further distance our elected commissioners from the actual operations of our county. His so-called Protocol Manual is cut out of an old California playbook designed to require all direction, communication, information and feedback to be funneled through an omnipotent county manager who can then filter instructions and information so as to further consolidate his power base and basically take full control of all aspects county government.

Mr. Stark presented his proposal under the guise of bringing Lyon County out of "Dogpatch" and into the 21st Century. The problem that all county residents should have with such a self aggrandizing proposal is that it further disassociates accountability by those county departments that we support with our taxes from the only body who is truly accountable to us taxpayers " the county commission.

If Lyon County residents want to see our county drift more towards being an uncaring and unresponsive self perpetuating bureaucracy, just sit this one out. If you believe that we need more rather than less accountability in our county government, then it might be well to urge your commissioners to resist this power grab.

Last I checked we still live in Nevada where we expect our local governments to be accountable to us, not be controlled by some non-elected czar. The county commission needs to clearly send that message. If Mr. Stark doesn't get it, perhaps the commission should show him the door so he could seek employment further west where uncaring bureaucracies are more acceptable.

WILLIS LAMM

Stagecoach

Wants some answers on V&T project

I have been a supporter of the V&T Railroad Project for a number of years. In early 2008 I and Bruce Kittess decided to attend a few meetings to see how the commission was working. After a few meetings and with much difficulty to obtain past meeting minutes it became clear to the both of us that some commissioners had different agendas.

In addition the total cost was a moving target. The cost on the Web site was $30 million. The commission was talking about the cost increasing to $60 million. There was no detailed discussion on why the cost increased. In e-mails to the commission I asked for improved transparency. This has yet to happen. The mayor is asking the voters to increase the sales tax so the V&T project can be given $10 million. This $10 million may get the train through the canyon. Where will the commission get the $20 million to get the track to the proposed depot, purchase a very expensive property and purchase the present Gray's V&T railroad because the commission has stated that there cannot be two operators of the V&T, plus refurbish the Gray's track?

At this time there is no transparency to show the voters how or who will provide the additional $20 million. Why should the people of Carson City give an additional $10 million to have a railroad to nowhere?

Hopefully you will publish this letter. I want the V&T to be successful. To be successful they must begin to ask detailed questions of the staff, set milestones for the work to be completed and show how the additional funds will be obtained.

LOU DEBOTTARI

Carson City

The true costs of nuclear energy are astronomical

Those who support nuclear energy claim it is inexpensive. The reason that they can claim that is that they only figure in the cost of generating the energy. If they figure in the cost of taking care of nuclear waste, then the cost is astronomical! But the developers only figure the cost of developing it and assume that the rest of us will pay the cost of 'disposing' of the waste. (It can't be disposed of.)

Nuclear reactors create radioactive waste that will remain radioactive for 240,000 years. The half life of plutonium 239 is 24,000 years, which only means that it will only be half as radioactive in 24,000 years. It will remain dangerous for 240,000 years. It has to be monitored for 240,000 years. There has never been a government in the history of humanity that has lasted 240,000 years. Mankind has barely been on the planet that long.

Bury it in Nevada they say. 240,000 years ago Nevada was in the Pleistocene Age (ice age) and there were Mammoths and saber toothed cats. Mankind was in the Stone Age. How can we even begin to imagine what it will be 240,000 years in the future? One clue: if we accept all of the nuclear waste for those 240,000 years there won't be any life forms here in Nevada.

You may say of course we won't be doing it for 240,000 years. How long will we be doing it? How much is too much? I would say any at all is too much.

Until a clean method of recycling nuclear waste is in common use (not trying to stuff it somewhere, but actually making it safe), nuclear energy should not be used. If we don't stop it, the developers will have a nuclear reactor in every state in the union, the waste will pile up exponentially. The developers will rake in billions of dollars. The rest of us will pay the real cost of their profit.

Please support clean renewable sources of energy. Like wind, solar, geothermal, ocean wave action, use of the water cycle (evaporation, rain, river flow). Even use of human muscle. And please support the development of machines that use these clean renewable sources of energy. Lets not get into another disaster by burying ourselves in pollution.

PAT HUNTER

Carson City

Likes nuclear, but not Yucca

I agree with Chuck Muth on the need for nuclear energy, but in mentioning France's efforts in this field, he neglects to mention that the French "recycle" their nuclear rods. He is also aware that Yucca Mt. is 90 miles from Las Vegas, and close to Clark County with it's 2 million population, and that the trains loaded with nuclear waste would currently travel through Vegas. I'll go along with Mr. Heller's plan to store the waste at the plants, but will not agree, as Sen. McCain has, to bury this dangerous stuff at Yucca.

RICHARD MUNDY

Las Vegas

Electric charge outrageous

I have received the July statement for our garage, which has a separate meter due to the location on our property. This bill had the combined old and new service charge at a total of $15.94 and a total of $1.63 for electricity. I sure thought there was a mistake. I called Sierra Pacific and they indicated that this was the new rate okayed by the Public Utilities Commission due to the fact the separate line was an extra expense to service. The old service charge was $6 per month and at the most $3 for electricity.

This new rate is ridiculous. Our line comes from the same pole as our neighbor's house and the meters are 25 feet apart. The meter reader never comes on our property as he can read it from the neighbor's yard.

I called Public Utilities Commission and their answer was to have the service discontinued. It is a pretty sad situation that these charges are allowed, especially after reading in the Appeal about Sierra Pacific's salaries and compensation to the CEO's and other very well paid members on their staff.

Guess my husband will have to install some battery lighting or get a lantern if he wants to do his hobbies in his garage. Do you think a letter to our governor would do any good? Maybe he has connections with either Sierra Pacific or the Public Utilities Commission. We are paying more to get our few bucks of electricity than he is paying on property taxes on a $575,000 piece of property.

CAROL BAKER

Gardnerville

Democrats: An untapped source of energy

When is Harry Reid and the rest of the Democrats going to wake up? Over 60 percent of the citizens in the United States wants the oil companies to DRILL. The Democrats are dragging their feet and that means we get higher gas prices. Some of the Democrats come back and say the oil companies have leases and why aren't they drilling. It may be due to the fact the oil companies checked out the areas and there may not be any oil there. Along comes Al Gore saying we should develop our wind power and solar power. Put a wind generator in front of Al Gore and the Democrats in Washington and we would have wind energy to no end. It is a fact that there are more environmentalist lobbyists in Washington, D.C. than any other lobbyists. Now then who do you think is pumping money into to the Democratic candidates to keeping drilling out of the picture and getting tax money to support alternate energy programs. I cannot afford the Democrats, they are costing me and the rest of the country too much money. I suggest that we get a House and Senate filled with Republicans and start drilling and tell the Arabs where to put their oil.

I am a registered Lyon County Democrat who is fed up with Harry Reid and his left wing political hacks.

BILL PYATT

Dayton

Turn down the music, please

Well here it is another Friday night In Carson City.

As I am once again trying to get some sleep for my early morning job, I am jolted out of bed by the street band music being played down on the 3rd street party.

One again I called the sheriffs department to ask them if they could possibly ask them to turn down the music that is radiating my windows tonight. I was told that the band has a permit to play their music till midnight, I then asked, "is there not a certain decibel level that had to be kept?"

NOPE, I was told, and then explained that their permit is only good till midnight. So I asked her, "what I understand that is being explained to me is, if you happen to have a 'permit' YOU CAN DISTURB ALL THE OTHER CARSON CITY RESIDENTS THAT ARE TRYING TO SLEEP? Basically YES, I was told.

Hum ... Maybe I should get one of these permits and crank my stereo all night until midnight and see what my neighbors think? I guarantee you that I would wake up then next day with some broken windows in my car. Just because they have a permit to put on a LIVE concert does not mean they should disrespect the other city residents not attending this event. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good party, and live music when I go out, BUT not when I am trying to get some sleep for work in the early morning.

Some bands think that if they turn up the music louder that they will sound better; not in this case.

SO BAR OWNERS, PLEASE be concerned citizens, do us a favor, and have the bands turn down their music a notch? We would really appreciate it.

DONALD JACKSON

Carson City