Letters to the editor 3-5

Government handouts too easy to obtain

Our state, like many others, is in a real financial pinch. Why do none of our state officials ever mention why we are in such severe distress?

We are giving away our tax money by the bucket to anyone who asks for it. Welfare, WIC and other liberal programs are responsible in large part for our predicament. Daily we watch young, apparently healthy young people "buy" milk, eggs, cereal, cheese and bread for their infant (who can't eat these products until they are much older) with their WIC cards. Then they pay for their beer, cigarettes and other luxuries with cash.

They also can afford numerous tattoos and drive large pickup trucks and SUVs. I'd like to be able to afford more of these things with money I earned the last 40 years, but I have to watch expenses so I can pay my taxes to support many of these losers.

I wouldn't mind helping people get on their feet but it has become so easy to qualify for government programs and make it a lifetime commitment. Instead of cutting education, public projects, etc., how about investigating the necessity of supporting lazy people?

RON MILLIGAN

Fallon

It's time for Americans to brush up on their French

If your news organization is dedicated to informing the public of all things that effect our well being, now would be a fine time to point by point tell your readership how this massive fraud called stimulus shall ultimately effect us and generations to follow.

Begin with the simple fact that it is an 800-page monstrosity that no politician has read and follow that up with the fact Socialist Party (once Democrat) leadership flat out denied any input from the once (but no more) Republican Party.

It is by any measure one huge package of pork where, among other things, Nancy Pelosi gets $40 million for the wetland mice. That along with about $600 billion in pork has absolutely nothing, let me repeat, nothing to do with repairing an economy that was damaged by politicians in the first instance.

All of this creates no jobs, but opens the door to socialized medicine. We were warned that the Marxist Obama would turn us into another France and it is happening. Doesn't that bother you?

VERNON M. LATSHAW

Gardnerville

District should reduce overhead

The Carson City School District mission statement is: "... to contribute to the development of successful young adults who will make healthy contributions to themselves, their families, the state of Nevada, our great nation and the world." 

Yet, in a recent meeting, a district official stated that the budget, not the children, is our first priority. Aren't children the reason schools exist? If we don't put children foremost, why have a school board or a school district?  

Changing Fremont to a conventional schedule directly opposes the district's mission statement. Fremont's year-round schedule has been beneficial over many years. Changing it is contrary to the best interests of Fremont's students, parents, staff and their families. 

The district staff has stated that changing Fremont to a traditional schedule would save money. These savings would supposedly come in part from reduced air conditioning costs. A few minutes later, they said the costs of running the Mark Twain and Fremont buildings are identical. Apparently the school district has not done its homework, or doesn't understand its own data.

If it costs the same to run an identical building on regular schedule as it does on year-round schedule, where are the supposed savings? Don't destroy a proven, effective and valuable program for the sake of a few dollars' savings that don't even exist. There may be about $20,000 savings in not running buses on two different schedules. However, this amount is a drop in the bucket compared to what could be saved by other means that do not adversely affect the quality of education provided to our children.

For instance, with the district having lost more than 10 percent of its enrollment in recent years, let's trim the district staff. Eliminating only one staff position at the district level would save many times the $20,000 differential attributed to year-round busing. Some district staff positions are probably luxuries rather than necessities in our current financial situation. Eliminating just one of these could save multiple teachers' or bus drivers' salaries.

Let's not discard a proven beneficial schedule. Let's not eliminate staff and programs that directly serve the children. Let's cut the overhead.

PAUL BRUGGER

Carson City

Missing the boat on property tax cap

Well, here we go again. I read in the Nevada Appeal that the supervisors have endorsed a bill to form a new health care district with Lyon, Douglas, and Storey counties.

The article says that it will save the city money, then two paragraphs later they want to raise my sales taxes 1⁄4 percent and property taxes 15 cents per $100 of assessed value to pay for it. If the city will save money by forming this new regional health care district, why do we need to raise taxes?

Didn't we the people, in November, vote no on a property tax increase for more police and fire services? And didn't we the people pass a law a few years ago to limit our property taxes at 3 percent of assessed value? Please tell me what I am missing here.

I believe that the supervisors are trying to do their best, but I believe they are missing the boat on the property tax cap.

BILL REDMOND

Carson City