Letters to the editor Aug. 14

Her house is worth less, yet tax bill goes up

Earlier this year when we received the notice of assessed valuation from Douglas County, I had a very small hope that our property tax bill might actually decrease because our assessed value had decreased for the second year in a row - this year by nearly $33,000.

When the tax bill arrived, all hope was immediately dashed. It was apparent that the assessed value doesn't have anything to do with anything.

The county took our tax bill amount from last year, calculated and imposed a 3 percent increase, and then eliminated enough abatements - credits/reductions to the homeowner against the tax bill - to impose the 3 percent increase while not exceeding it. The same 3 percent increase occurred in the previous two years and perhaps for other years as well. I didn't do the math any farther back than 2008.

Wouldn't it be nice if the rest of us got an automatic 3 percent increase every year? Just think what we could do with that extra 3 percent. What do you think the county will do with it?

Kathy Coleson

Minden

Jesus would not approve of government theft

Regarding Frank Johnson's letter about Sharron Angle following Jesus' example: It is one thing for the government to set aside funds to help others. We've been doing it since the founding of this nation. To love and help one's neighbor does not translate to allowing the government to steal the monies earned by American citizens to help American citizens - Social Security, Medicare, health care, education - and giving it to people illegally in our country. It is a sin against God's Seventh Commandment: Thou shalt not steal.

Is he saying Jesus would condone stealing? Jesus would have to break the Seventh Commandment to do that. God is not capable of committing sin.

It is not hateful to protect oneself against those who would do us harm. Even Jesus spoke of the man defending himself against harm. That is the first law of God's natural law - self defense.

Mary Santomauro

Stagecoach

Take a cue from Britain and curtail campaigning

Enough already. Three months until Election Day, and the Reid-Angle ads have pushed our TV mute button to the max. Hope it holds out until November. I don't want to hear how bad each candidate thinks the other is; I'd like to know what positive thing each would offer if he/she won the election.

The British have it right. According to a friend of mine who lives in England, they only have to listen to all this political garbage for one month before their elections. Think of all the money that could be saved and perhaps spent on something more worthwhile than bad-mouthing one another.

One month is plenty of time for candidates to get their message across in a positive way. And I'm fairly certain the voters would be more than happy to have a time limit on campaigning. At least this voter would be.

Marilyn Sturges

Carson City

Energy department: What do we get for the money?

We have a disagreement between our candidates for senator. Harry Reid says we need the Department of Energy now more than ever. Sharron Angle says we should eliminate the Department of Energy.

According to the website for Department of Energy, the department was formed in 1977 by President Carter to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Its budget for 2010 is $26.4 billion. In 2009, it had 16,000 regular employees and 93,094 contract employees. What has been the total cost of this department since 1977? It has been operating for 33 years. What has it accomplished?

We now import more foreign oil than ever, so they failed their original purpose. Is the purpose of the DOE to keep the 109,094 people collecting paychecks from them off the welfare rolls? Wouldn't welfare be cheaper? Why do we need the DOE, Harry?

Bob Richard

Carson City