Letters to the editor 12-19

We, the private

sector ...

I rarely respond to letters to the editor, but the state worker who is upset about having to take unpaid days off really annoyed me, hence, generating a response.

I will not bother to respond to her individual points but will merely state that on average she and her compatriots make 25 percent more than the similar private sector employee. We, the private sector, pay for that. We, the private sector, have seen a doubling of our business license fees. We, the private sector, have seen our pre-tax revenues drop by a minimum of 50 percent. We, the private sector, pay your wages and you have the gall to whine about how we don't do enough to take care of you.

Typically, your solution is to make us, the private sector, pay more taxes to support you in the manner to which you are accustomed. It is time for you to wake up and join the real world. Take a look at all the other states which have adopted your solution. California is $30 billion in debt. New York is about to file for bankruptcy. Michigan is about to follow suit. They all raised taxes on the private sector and the private sector promptly left because they could no longer make a living.

Of course, the public employees don't care because they get paid no matter what, until the wheels come off, then they go whining to some other state.

Gary Cain

Carson City

A good example

of what to expect

We have a good example here in Nevada of what to expect from a government takeover of health insurance.

Until about 20 years of age, if you had employees here, the only choice you had was the state run SIIS for workers' compensation insurance. The rate for my shop was over 12 percent of gross payroll. The program found itself with a huge unfunded liability, so the Legislature decided to let private companies compete with the state-run system. My workers' compensation premium was immediately reduced to just over 8 percent, and I have not heard about any unfunded liability problems since.

The health care system may need a tuneup, but if we let government employees take complete control of it, we will soon miss what we have now.

Steve MacDonald

Stagecoach