Letters to the editor 1-28

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Dismantling of education equivalent of payday loan

With the governor's plan of eviscerating education by cutting education budgets by as much as 36 percent, he claims that we will be able to make it through the current financial crisis. But one must ask, "At what price?"

The suggestion to dismantle education to solve a temporary budget deficit is the equivalent of a "payday loan." Yes, it will pay the bills today, but there will be hell to pay when the loan comes due. In our case, the results will be even more catastrophic and it will be our children paying the bill.

As education is cut, opportunities in the state will begin to evaporate. Corporations, manufacturers and businesses will not want to invest in Nevada; a state that will not have an educated workforce, nor the means to educate one. Likewise, they will not be able to attract workers from out of state to move to a state the does not have adequate educational opportunities for children.

As our children grow up, our eyes will need to be fixed next door. A higher education in Nevada will be only for the privileged few under the governor's plan. Not only will the colleges and universities have to raise tuition to unheard of amounts just to keep the doors open, but class offerings will be limited, sections will be filled to overflowing and the question of the day, will all the colleges and universities be able to keep their doors open even with tuition increases?

In a state with only two universities can we afford to lose any? What job opportunities will be left to children of our state; McDonald's, manual labor, casinos?

By cutting education, the governor is proposing to take away the only hope we have of stabilizing our economy and preventing future fiscal emergencies.

Education allows our state to grow and flourish. It improves the quality of life, attracts outside business and gives our state the means to weather this storm and hopefully avoid others.

JAUNICE FRANZEN

Reno

Special 'voluntary' tax could fill state coffers

Yes, Virginia, it's time for a lottery in the state of Nevada.

I worked as a math teacher for a while, but my limited patience and high blood pressure finally forced me into a less frustrating profession. Some people are just bad at math and, for those folks, a special voluntary tax exists, it's called a lottery.

In Nevada, those people have to go to California to pay that tax, where it fills the coffers of a spendthrift state on the verge of bankruptcy.

Too bad that money can't go to help teachers in Nevada.

We can make that voluntary tax easier by allowing the tickets to be sold at those places where people that are bad at math hang out - casinos.

Just a few thoughts to help out school funding in Nevada.

JOHN P. FRANKS

Silver Springs

New taxes? Here are a few suggestions

The answer for more revenue for the state?

1. Tax all people who voted for Gibbons.

2. Legalize pot and tax it.

MIKE HUDSON

Carson City