Carson City letters to the editor 3-11

Jim Rogers hired to run the university, not state

Chancellor Jim Rogers apparently believes that he could run the state better than our governor. I believe, we hired the chancellor to run the university system, not the state.

He is, of course, free to run for the governorship should he choose in the next general election. Gov. Jim Gibbons has done a laudable job performing his duties in these most challenging and difficult economic times. Thank you Gov. Gibbons for your efforts.

ALICIA KITTESS

Carson City

No joke " what's up with Republicans?

The Republicans are a joke. They say that the Democrats are spending too much money yet they are the ones who put this country $1 trillion in debt to a communist country.

It is a joke that they say that they care about the middle class but for eight years they told us there was no recession.

Medicare Plan D is another Republican joke. One Republican thinks Social Security is bankrupt. It is not. It is in the general fund. Republicans voted against Social Security so why care now?

Taxpayer money that the Democrats want is for the middle class, not for corrupt companies like Blackwater, Halliburton, KBR and foreign dictators.

A question for Republicans " are you trying to make this nation into a Third World country?

JAMES STEVENSON

Carson City

Let's show how forward-thinking we are

With energy costs rising, oil companies earning record profits and local and federal governments recording budget shortfalls, we should be excited that a company wants to invest $200 million to $400 million in our local community.

The people who argue it would hurt tourism in Virginia City should start traveling the world and check out places with a couple of hundred more years of history. When I visited Germany two years ago, I found castles from the 1600s right next door to modern windmills from the year 2000. Seems like that is working there. It did not hurt my view as a tourist.

Our school district is planning on closing one of the schools in Carson City due to the budget shortfall. What if there were a way to bring energy costs down for the school district, a revenue source for the city as well as new jobs and a boost to the economy?

With a little creative thinking we could work collaboratively with Great Basin Wind to help our city. The planning commission could grant approval for permits to Great Basin Wind contingent upon building smaller windmills just for the schools in Carson City and Virginia City. This could be a great cost-saving move for the schools as well as an income generator for the city and Great Basin Wind.

Seems possible to me. Not only would it be an investment in the education of our children, but it would show the nation what a forward-thinking place Nevada really is.

SVEN KLATT

Carson City

Free and equal air time for candidates

We spend $720 million a day in Iraq. Congress receives $90 million a day from lobbyists. That is just shy of

$3 billion a year. And we wonder why we spend less than $600 million a year for the women and families of soldiers, and others, who desperately need relief in health, education, food, shelter and clothing, who have been placed in unconscionable, stressful, survival mode because of the wars.

Obama has started in the tiniest right direction, by putting a two-year moratorium on representatives leaving Congress before allowing them to work for a lobbying firm. That's not good enough. What I propose is: If you ever have been or are a representative or lobbyist, either on a federal or state level you can no longer qualify to work in the opposite field, ever. We must stop the revolving door between Wall Street and D.C. and now throughout our state governments.

Furthermore, I believe someone who is in office and wishes to run again, and someone who wishes to run for the first time, should be given equal and fixed limit amounts of "realistic" money by the government, so they don't have to feel like they are prostitutes. Secondly, allow a three-month period of time for meet and greet and, lastly, six weeks of ad nauseam free TV air space.

Because, I don't care who you are, or how little you care about politics, you will know all about each and every candidate, his or her life style, beliefs, moral convictions and integrity. Remember folks; we the people owned the airwaves above us, and our representatives gave it to the TV industry for free just so they could charge us unregulated prices (another gift from our representatives). I think its only fair that once every other year, they give back to the communities for six weeks. Don't you?

ANNELIESE PUTHE

Carson City

Chancellor's 'outburst' cause for departure

Chancellor Jim Rogers has served past his use by date. Is this the best leadership we can find for the Nevada system of higher education? While Rogers' forefathers may have been astute business people, they failed to teach basic public courtesy. His outburst might be excusable if he was a partisan columnist, but from the head of the University system? He must go.

WALTER BICKETT

Carson City