Letters to the editor 1-25

Gov. Gibbons' plan seems highly unfair

I am not an employee of the state of Nevada, but I have to voice my opinion about Gov. Gibbons' plan to cut employee pay by 6 percent.

I don't think it is fair of him to single out a select group of Nevadans and ask them to bear the brunt of our state deficit just because they happen to work for the state. I certainly am not excited about paying higher taxes, and while I appreciate Gov. Gibbons' concern about not wanting to ask the citizens of Nevada to pay higher taxes to help alleviate the deficit, I also wonder what he thinks state workers are. I believe they are citizens of Nevada, and I'm sure they are feeling the affects of the economy just as much as the rest of us.

I do appreciate Gov. Gibbons' willingness to also take the pay cut, but I can't imagine it will hurt his pocket book as much as it will hurt the employees making far less than he is. Of course, having a job at lesser pay is much better than not having a job at all, it just doesn't make sense that cutting pay to people who are paying the same taxes as other citizens, paying the same utility companies, the same grocery bill, higher insurance premiums, etc. is something Gov. Gibbons feels is a logical answer to the deficit.

I don't even know how to respond to his plan to cut higher education. Could he possibly be that stupid (for lack of better word)?

I don't pretend to know the answer to the deficit problem, but Gov. Gibbons' plans seem highly unfair and detrimental to thousands of Nevadans on so many levels. I hope the legislators figure that out and come up with a different solution that does not pick select groups to penalize and destroy.

TERI SPARKS

Carson City

Historic election, but not what you're thinking

Today, daughter was told by her American History teacher at the University of Nevada, Reno that the acceptance speech by President Obama was the only meaningful occurrence in United States history. All else has been a series of failures and unfulfilled promises.

I believe that the United States is rich in history but do agree that the election of Obama is historic. In my lifetime, with the possible exception of Jimmy Carter, we have never elected anyone less qualified to the highest office in the land. Further, I do not remember any previous president with direct ties to convicted felons, radical clerics, domestic terrorists, anti-Semites, racists and a spouse who has never been proud of her country.

And what do we have to look forward to? Higher taxes on productive people, wealth redistribution to people who do not pay tax (don't call it welfare), union votes without secret ballot, government mandated radio instead of free markets, nationalized health care (scrapping the best system in the world), government controlled retirement plans replacing 401K and other current programs that actually work - all brought to us by President Obama. This insanity is fully supported by our media, Hollywood elites and reinforced by instructors within our system of education at all levels.

JOHN COLYER

Minden

A budget suggestion

for the governor

A front-page article in Monday's Nevada Appeal described a university student's protest against the proposed budget cuts for University of Nevada, Reno that were contained in Gov. Gibbons' recently presented budget.

In the article's continuation on the back page was this: "'But the governor's proposed cuts were only a suggestion and aren't as bad as some people think,' said Dan Burns, Gibbons' representative."

Only a suggestion? If Mr. Burns is representative of Gov. Gibbons, we have problems more serious than any of us might have suspected. Many people spent hundreds, perhaps thousands, of hours crafting this budget, which is arguably the most important document generated by the governor's administration, and now it is described by that administration as only a suggestion?

Are the governor and his staff so ashamed of his proposed budget that they wish to distance themselves from any responsibility by describing it as only a suggestion? It is difficult to imagine a more moronic statement coming from a person representing the governor.

Much money could have been saved if the entire process was simply eliminated, since after all it was only a suggestion. And while Gov. Gibbons is cutting costs, he can save a bit more by also eliminating one person from his staff.

JAMES SADILEK

Carson City

Mental health cuts in state budget inhumane

The governor is proposing to cut or eliminate funding for the rural mental health centers.

I feel this is inhumane because the recipients of these programs will most probably end up becoming homeless or else incarcerated for lack of any resources to deal with them.

Please contact your legislators regarding this situation.

BARBARA A. DUDZIAK

Mental Health Advocate

Carson City

Wind power issues drifting to Carson

You folks in Carson City and Virginia City are now getting a taste of what we in north Reno have been battling for four months now.

The industrial wind power producers that threaten your way of life have the full faith and credit (literally) of our shortsighted governor and our state treasury. While we as a state are in a near-bankrupt situation, Mr. Gibbons is giving away tax credits and subsidies to these wind monsters by the bucket load, all the while cutting our education system, state employee and teacher salaries and critical social programs.

We have $700 million in our treasury fund to give away to these people for an alternative energy device that has an extremely negative worldwide reputation. But the wind lobbyists (AWEA) have promised big payoffs to our elected officials if they can just get this last grab at public money, all under the guise of "green energy." There is not one thing about wind that is stand alone green. It will not save one ounce of oil; in fact, it will use oil. It produces minimum long-term jobs, scars the land, kills wildlife and produces noise and sight pollution. I hope you can stop it because we couldn't. Good luck.

TIM SANDERS

Reno

Something's amiss with our criminal justice system

What part of our criminal justice system is broken and why? I read last week a longtime gang member-criminal was arrested numerous times for serious offenses. Yet he usually got his charges dismissed or dropped. Why?

I hear now the criminal alien Maria Arcadia, aka Jackie Guzman (the woman who worked in human resources for American Buildings) who was charged with identity theft, was let out of jail on house arrest with an ankle bracelet and promptly cut it off and fled. What brainiac thought letting a non-citizen jailed for identity theft (who had access to hundreds of personnel files) out was a good idea? She was no longer eligible to work. I just want to know which part of our system is failing so come election-time corrections can be made.

The people are getting arrested so it must either be the District Attorney's office or the judges who are failing us.

ROBERT COBB JR.

Carson City

Hospital staff thanked for excellent care

Although mom was a fighter, she had her last breaths Sunday, Jan. 11. at Carson Tahoe Hospital. I would like to say a very big thank you to the hospital staff for its care and concern during which was understandably a difficult time for me, her daughter and primary caregiver.

In spite of the recent layoffs at the hospital, the caring staff took care to make a time of transition easier on mom and on our family. Special gratitude goes to Dr. Jorge Salasberry, the ICU nurses (especially Deidre and Leslie), the social workers (especially Christina Mercado), our case manager Debbie Christenson, and the Comfort Care nurses (especially Marilyn).

As was mom's preference, we chose to contact the very helpful Judy Kimpton at the Neptune Society in Reno for mom's cremation arrangements. I would like to pass along a piece of information that might help save some confusion for other area residents whose family members specify The Neptune Society. The society partners with Walton's Funeral Home for Carson residents. That information would have saved some confusion and pain on my part had I known it at the time of my mom's passing.

CHRISTEL HALL

Minden

Radon story was highly misleading

Your article on radon (Rn) was atrocious. Although the article inside was acceptable, the front page (which many people do not read beyond) contained a major prevarication, either through ignorance or design, and a statement that is so misleading that it is frightening.

The prevarication " Rn is a poison. In fact, radon is a noble gas like helium or neon or argon (which is 1 percent of our atmosphere). It is chemically non-toxic. It is a radioactive species " we are exposed to a lot of radiation every day. That may or may not be a hazard " the rest of this letter addresses the misleading part of the article.

In order to correct this second misleading part regarding elevated levels of radon, let us first examine a few facts. All radon isotopes are short-lived (the longest lived isotope has a half-life of 3.8 days) " contrast this with the progenitors naturally occurring in the ground, which often have half-lives of thousands of years.

The radon isotopes can cause a problem only when it is breathed into the lungs where the radioactive alpha decays in large doses can cause a problem. It also can stay in the lungs and not be exhaled readily " everything depends upon the dose. The article suggests that any dose is bad " poppycock!

Your article also suggests that any level is harmful! This is patently false. We do not know what dose level is a problem. Cumulative dose is everything and whether it is harmful can vary from individual to individual. Without that information, nothing can be concluded.

The bottom line for people who are concerned about radon is to test your home. Find out where it is on a grand scale over the entire United States (not just in your locale) and decide if you need the cure (either stop smoking or ventilate your house).

DENNIS MOLTZ, PH.D., nuclear science

Carson City

Tourism director selection process raises questions

Perhaps I missed it being mentioned earlier, but I found it interesting to read Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki stating that before selecting a tourism director, the commission must determine whether Gov. Jim Gibbons would combine tourism and the Economic Development Commission into a single entity, which could mean the new man would be out of a job shortly.

This immediately brought to mind: Just why was Gibbons in such a hurry to name someone for the position before the committee gave him a list to pick from? Was he wanting to give a friend a job so he could collect unemployment before long or what? Just another question on the guy who is supposedly leading our state. Sorry, Jim, but you're not giving out very good impressions.

JUDY DERYKE

Minden

Contemptible ambivalence displayed again

Not to be outdone by his heroes, Grover Norquist, Sheldon Adelson and Chuck Muth, Ron Knecht (referred to as dis-Knecht by his former legislative colleagues) is again displaying his contemptible ambivalence.

In his latest diatribe in the Appeal's Sunday "Commentary," Knecht rails against public pensions, defined benefits, Social Security and universal health care. Mr. Knecht is, I believe, still employed as an economist by the Nevada Public Utilities Commission. I wonder if Mr. Knecht would agree to a put up or shut up proposition, i.e. forego his defined benefits in the Nevada PERS, his state employee-retiree health benefits in the Nevada PEBP his accumulated annual and sick leaves, etc.? Isn't it ironic that Knecht enjoys the same benefits that he disdains?

DANNY N. COYLE

Carson City