We've been sold bill of goods with Obama
During the campaign of 2008, we were sold a false image of candidate Obama. We were snookered by the image of a well-educated and brilliant orator, a centrist who would bring change that we could all believe in.
Eight months later, that mask has been removed, revealing a shallow and inexperienced left-wing ideologue. The president and liberal Congress, with breathtaking speed, are attempting to change the foundations of liberty and freedom of the greatest country in history. His domestic agenda is rooted more toward social justice than restoring a strong economy. The $750 billion TARP fund, sold as the cure-all, is a sham.
In reality, nothing is being done to lower taxes, create jobs or aid small business owners who create 70 percent of the jobs. TARP is nothing more than a giant slush fund used to provide payback to political supporters. Unemployment continues to rise as the economy stagnates.
In national security, cuts in the defense budget, killing of the missile defense shield in Europe and the F-22 Raptor program are naive, short-sighted and reveal a stunning lack of understanding of the dangers in today's world.
On the world stage, Obama is seen as weak with his policies of appeasement and indecision. Obama tolerates authoritarian dictators like Castro, Chavez, Ortega, and Ahmadinejad, and then regularly bashes Bush.
How could we have put someone with such a weak resume into the most powerful office in the world? We were forewarned, but chose not to listen.
Bill Johnston
Carson City
Prison cost-cutting plan won't work
Recently the prison director, Howard Skolnik, made some statements to the Board of Examiners regarding furloughs that are incredible.
He said he would consider allowing officers to use comp time and take furloughs, but the state lost a lawsuit when it tried the same thing in 1986.
Actually, there has not been a lawsuit over that. We sued because the department forced officers to accrue comp time and forced us to take comp time off, with no prior notification for us, and after we had already shown up for work. We would be told, "Go home, and take eight hours comp," wasting hours of preparing for and commuting to and from work. We won that lawsuit, but it had nothing to do with furloughs.
Mr. Skolnik has also claimed he can save the state money by closing Unit Three at NSP, and opening two units elsewhere, because "It requires 18 officers to run Unit Three, and will only require three officers to run two housing units down south." That's incredible.
Unit Three actually requires no more then 12 officers (4.6 per 24/7 position, of which Unit 3 has two, and the third officer position which is a pull position and only manned on day and swing shift.)
Mr. Skolnik says he can man two units with only three officers but doesn't say how. He can only do that if he does not staff 24/7.
Edward Neidert
Carson City