Letters to the editor

While Douglas County may be a pretty special place to live, there's nothing special about the number of foreclosed homes we see in the legal notices at an alarming rate. Along with the rest of Nevada, we are part of the dubious "foreclosure capital of the world."

Until Feb. 12, there was a provision in the "shovel-ready/jobs creating/-

stimulus" package for a $15,000 tax credit for persons wishing to buy a home and share the American dream and turn some of our foreclosures back into homes instead of vacant property.

I say "was" because in one of those sleazy backroom deals that should gag all of us, Sen. Harry Reid swapped the tax credit for a "big chunk" of an $8 billion deal that would run a train between Vegas and Disneyland. This affects not only Douglas County but the whole nation by exacerbating the foreclosure problem in favor of a pure porker of a project which is probably 50 years down the road.

When it reaches the point where our U.S. senator is swapping pet projects in lieu of helping voters live the American dream, it is time for us to swap senators. I don't care who runs against Reid in 2010 or which party they come from; we absolutely have to get rid of a senator who puts pork and pet projects ahead of the overall good of the nation and Nevadans.

STEVE LANG

Gardnerville

I am a libertarian at heart but must give credit where it is due. Two points for President Obama.

In last week's news conference he touched upon the coming tidal wave of entitlement spending that will be even more crushing to our economy than the current economic crisis. President Obama said, "... unless we deal with entitlements in a serious way, the problems we have with this year's deficit and next year's deficit pale in comparison to what we are going to be seeing in 10 or 15 years."

I honor him for his courage to mention this publicly.

In other words, the trillions we will spend on bailouts and stimulus plans will be kiddy play compared to the wave of debt President Obama sees coming at us. These future obligations are projected to be over $90 trillion.

I do have to take away two points from the good president, however. He failed to tell the truth about the cause of the mess we are in. Disastrous decisions by the Fed, idiotic laws passed by both Democrats and Republicans along with avaricious behavior by our nation's arrogant banking oligarchy aided by presidents from both parties have gotten us here. And, well, sorry folks, but another minus-2 for the president for putting the same dolts in power that helped create this crisis, namely Geithner and Summers and their pals.

Thank God we still have the freedom to publicize revealing information. I encourage your readers to go online to PBS.com and listen to an excellent interview this past week on "Bill Moyers Journal" with Simon Johnson. I also recommend a fine book, "Meltdown" by Thomas E. Woods, that reveals all plus gives a remedy that will work.

However, let me make a prediction: Common sense will not prevail. The looting of the American public and continued Keynesian solutions will drive this nation to its knees. If we make it to the fall of 2010 without major disruptions and upheaval I will be amazed.

CHRISTOPHER HARDT

Carson City