Letters to the editor Sept. 5

Reassigning principal sends wrong message

It is very troubling that Carson City School superintendent Richard Stokes gave convicted former Carson Middle School principal Sam Santillo a cushy $100k job instead of firing him.

We know Santillo was willing to put other driver's lives at risk by driving while intoxicated and he also had illegal drugs with him in the car.

How do we expect the hard-working and dedicated teachers to encourage our kids to stay sober and obey the law when they see Santillo richly rewarded for inexcusable criminal behavior?

I am grateful there was an officer who arrested Santillo before he could hurt himself or before he crashed into another car injuring or killing an innocent victim.

Sadly, there may not be an officer to stop one of Santillo's former students - who has followed his role model - before he starts drinking at a party or get stoned. Perhaps no one will stop him from then driving off with friends and zooming down the highway like Santillo, except with with tragic results.

Since Santillo has been rewarded with his golden parachute in the form of a $100K job, why should our kids think drinking and driving or taking illegal drugs is wrong?

Robert Corkill

Carson City

A plan to get the economy going again

We need to extend the Bush tax cuts for at least another six to eight years, have Congress repeal the health care bill and replace it with the Republican alternative, then have Congress pass laws that require all mortgages be lowered to 4 percent loans amortized over 30 years.

With the Bush tax cuts in place, and the new health care bill repealed, the trillions of dollars U.S. industries are holding back in anticipation of huge tax and health care cost increases would immediately find their way back into the U.S. economy, equaling major job growth and revenue for local, state and federal governments.

Dropping all mortgages down to 4 percent would immediately take tens of billions of dollars a year out of the pocket s of fat-cat bankers and put it into the pockets of all U.S. homeowners, thereby acting as a major, continuous, nationwide economic stimulus, equaling more jobs and revenue. Non-homeowners would benefit from the money being spent on all areas of our economy, as in job security.

James R. Parker

Carson City

Patriots, Christians, stand up and support mosque

As a reply to the idea that the ground zero mosque is a slap in the face of America, you cannot be patriotic or Christian and say this.

The First Amendment states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." That means that we, the people, also cannot do this. There also is no clause exempting Muslims. Therefore you cannot be patriotic and be against the ground zero mosque.

When asked what the second-greatest commandment was, Jesus replied, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." Mark 12:31. If you are Christian, you cannot harm your neighbor, which includes stopping him from worshiping. Therefore you cannot be Christian and against the ground zero mosque.

Look, folks, this is not a mosque at ground zero, or even controversial. This is a community center to be built in a former Burlington Coat Factory two blocks away from hallowed ground. And I'm fairly sure that the mosque protests in California and Kentucky are not about hallowed ground in any form.

We are all reasonable, educated adults. That means that it is our responsibility to check facts and base our opinions on something more than "Muslims bad." So can we please stop acting like we aren't?

Monica Stephenson

Dayton

GOP supports the rich; what about the rest of us?

Most of us have seen Congress disappoint us in weak health care and economic reforms and the disgusting mismanagement that led to the oil spill. But voting for new blood won't improve anything - especially in the case of Sharron Angle.

Look at what she believes - fluoridation conspiracies, evil represented by football players' black uniforms and threatening the government with Second Amendment remedies among other lunatic ideas. She and the Republicans only want to distract us from our real problems.

Harry Reid has a much better track record responding to real needs by saving jobs and establishing some reforms. We have a greater chance of recovery from this economic mess with the Democrats.

The Republicans have shown time and time again that they only support the rich 2 percent of Americans. Their poor management over the last decade has run our economy over the edge. For the other 98 percent of us, they only have contempt, no solutions. Sharron has said we are spoiled if we collect the unemployment benefits we worked for but don't deserve.

Government has a role in our society that includes regulating the economy and protecting us from predatory corporations like oil companies, Wall Street bankers, and greedy chicken ranchers among others. I hope that in November, 98 percent of us will keep in mind the track record of the Republicans and their current lunacy in the candidate of Sharron Angle.

Debbie Korb

Carson City

Cut the mudslinging and give us straight answers

I have a suggestion. How about a Nevada Appeal poll that asks the question: Are you sick and tired of the constant barrage of negative political TV ads that are repeatedly coming up on your television screens hour after hour and day after day from dawn to late night?

I have a feeling that there would be a large response to that poll and the higher percentage answer would be yes. I really think that a great many voters, if not all, are wishing that the candidates who are slinging all of the mud at one another would realize that they would achieve far more for the money that they are spending for these TV ads if they would come out with new ads that will honestly inform the voters as to just what they will actually do if/when they are elected to office.

I have no idea what all of these TV ads are costing each politician but I can imagine it is a very high figure. So, if you and I and others are contributors, wouldn't you feel that the money you are or have contributed would be certainly better spent in this positive way than the other negative TV ad way?

I do not think that mudslinging ads really accomplish any worthwhile purpose because folks are not so unintelligent that they can't see through the real intent of the negative statements. What do you think?

Donald McDermott

Carson City