We have a right to
smoke-free air
Mr. Parker's March 10 letter took me to task for opposing his suggestion to lift the smoking ban on restaurants. Mr. Parker, the quality ventilation systems you keep pushing do not work as is evidenced in every casino that has them. Patrons still come out stinking from head to toe.
You talk about the animosity, bigotry and political rhetoric directed at restaurant owners, and every American's right to smoke. Sorry, but your right to smoke does not supercede anyone's right to breathe. When you said, "Robin, it's about freedom," you're absolutely right, and that freedom was exercised when the majority of people in this state voted overwhelmingly to have a smoke-free environment where they dine.
You have to accept the fact that smoking is a dying habit. We're in the 21st century and you shouldn't want to encourage and prolong this filthy habit simply to turn a profit.
Robin Christy
Carson City
Pro-health care nuns stand up for what is right
The nuns who signed the letter to Congress supporting health care reform neither claimed to represent the Catholic Church nor are they renegades.
One of the signatories represents a congregation of 200 Dominican sisters who minister on the West Coast. They were my high school teachers, and still teach me today by their commitment to social responsibility, dedication to the poor and underprivileged, and their devotion to their religious community life. These are caring women who serve children and families who will benefit from the changes this health care legislation will provide.
The nuns did not presume to speak for the church; only bishops presume to do that, right or wrong. The nuns were speaking out and advocating for those who have no voice. They make me proud.
Janice M. Caldwell
Carson City
Census Bureau: Why separate the races?
I just received my Census forms a couple of days ago, and although the questions are relatively easy to fill out and understand, I have to question why Questions 8 and 9 are on this Census.
These two questions relate to a person's race and I really don't understand why we still want to segregate after the United States has been teaching in schools for over half a century that "all people are created equal." Even our founding fathers put this in our country's main documents. We teach our children to treat everyone the same and then the Census Bureau wants to separate us.
Are they telling us that certain humans get more or less than other humans when the revenues get distributed? I have to wonder if the words we preach are just a show and we really don't mean any of them.
Shouldn't all humans be getting the same equality and classified as just a human being?
Glenn Logue
Dayton
Gov. Gibbons' education task force a circus
Let me see if I have this right. Nevada's economy finally tanks because property values are continuing their trip to the abyss and our largest industry, gaming, continues its downhill slide to oblivion. Our education system is consistently ranked down around the toilet bowl level while consuming the lion's share of tax dollars which, of course, our property taxes and gaming industry can no longer support.
Then Gov. Gibbons takes a break from his workout with the veto stamp and decides he's going to fix the system by creating a task force to look into the matter and make recommendations. He then chairs the panel with a casino executive and the head of our higher education system. To make sure this whole thing will rotate in a circle, he then overwhelmingly loads the
29-member panel with people who work in big business and within the education system. In an apparent effort at slap-stick comedy, he throws in one politician.
The only thing Gov. Gibbons overlooked was the involvement of the banking industry and perhaps a real estate agent or two. Barnum and Bailey would have been proud.
Bill Souza
Carson City