Letters to the editor Feb. 25

Thank you for helping husband after fall

Angels are all around us. Sometimes they arrive in a white pickup truck.

On Feb. 17, one such angel was driving by our home and saw my husband fall while trying to clear snow from the driveway. She immediately stopped, jumped out of her truck, helped him and finished shoveling the driveway.

Sorry, lovely angel, we didn't get your name, but want to publicly thank you. Random acts of kindness are alive and well in Carson City.

Nancy Gavin

Carson City

Senator awed crowd with scout experiences

The Blue and Gold Dinner for Pack 512 of the Cub Scouts of America, to celebrate 101 years of Scouting was held recently. There were about 100 people in attendance which included not only den leaders, parents and scouts, but also Sen. Don Gustavson, who was there to not only address the Scouts and their families, but also to share his own personal experience as a Cub Scout and Boy Scout.

The crowd was in total awe when the senator shared his personal experiences, but were equally impressed when he shared certain facts about Scouting that not very many were aware of. For example, I and several other den leaders were unaware that 11 out of the 12 men who have walked on the moon, were actually Eagle Scouts as well.

The senator left Carson City as quick as he could after the floor session, and made it home between storms to be able to say hello to his new wife, change suits and make a personal commitment. He had been stranded in Carson City for the last couple of nights due to the road conditions, but made it to this engagement on time.

When I mentioned to him that he must have thought his appearance was truly important to the Cub Scouts, his comment was, "It was as important to me, as any scout in the group. These kids may make up a very small percentage of our population, but they make up 100 percent of our future."

Dawn Heins

Carson City

Stop patching state economy and fix it

In the late 19th century, the state's economy was in shambles. Leaders had relied on the mining industry for their income, and the lodes had played out years ago. Yet, even with their state in despair, leaders clung to the hope that prosperity was just a prospector's claim away.

It took another half century for our state to transition to a new source of income. Instead of learning from the failures of their predecessors, they chose to become dependent on yet another industry: Tourism. Today we find another collapsed industry and our state coffers empty. Yet again, we find our leaders holding hope for a rebound, ignoring the fact that they are merely perpetuating the cycle.

To our state leaders, I say this: Look to the work of your predecessors. Quick fixes and temporary solutions are not solutions at all. The system is broken and no amount of budget reductions will solve the problem of income. Nevada cannot continue with business as usual if business is poor.

The state cannot continue to rely on specific industries as a revenue base. We must diversify. By continuing to patch and bandage a failed product, you are only passing on the problem to We the People of the state of Nevada and the future generations who will serve her.

Christopher MacMahon

Dayton