Letters to the Editor 8/30

Time to use your weapon of choice

Our only weapon is our right to vote. Remember their votes and remember their names and vote these scoundrels out of office.

Many of our self-serving senators and our self-representing representatives are up for re-election in 2010. This is America's last chance to reverse the socialistic path the current liberal, and in many cases, criminal elements of the present administration and its staff members.

Every elected House and Senate member who voted for the stimulus packages, the cap and trade bill or the socialization of our medical system without reading and understanding it should be expunged from office and lose the right to ever serve (themselves) again at the public expense.

Here are the names of the Rinos (Republicans in name only) and the states that elected them to work for the good of the people. We might all want to write to them and tell them just what we think of their treason to our country: Reps. Mary Bono (California); Michael Castle (Delaware); Mark Kirk (Illinois); Leonard Lance (New Jersey); Frank LoBiondo (New Jersey); John McHugh (New York); David Reichert (Washington); and Christopher Smith (New Jersey).

Kudos to the 48 Democrats who voted against the bill and made the Rinos' votes crucial in passing.

We the people must stand up for America and demand that Congress be subjected to term limits, similar health plans, and similar retirement benefits as are the citizens of this country. These elitists who make the laws should have to live by those laws.

Benny Crocker

Carson City

Subsidizing uninsured makes more sense

The American Heritage Dictionary defines "socialism" in part as "... Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy ..."

You can read "goods" as health care.

I was treated in London for injury while traveling. True, I did not have to pay for it. Also true, The Emergency Centre at that hospital was as crowded if not more crowded than an American ER. But also true was the fact that once I was seen, they did not do anything. Not even an X-ray.

What goes on in England, Canada and Germany sure sounds socialist to me. Also, consider that these countries tax the living daylights out of their citizens to pay for all of this free health care.

One average Canadian worker in Victoria (British Columbia) told me that Canada has a federal sales tax, the province also has its sales tax and the province takes close to 50 percent (half) of his paycheck in income taxes. The combined sales tax is about 14 percent. The bite is even bigger in Europe. This is how they pay for their free health care. I am not willing to pay a similar price.

Wouldn't it be more cost-effective for the government to subsidize the health insurance of those 40-odd million uninsured as opposed to taking over the whole system?

Also, I know that tort reform is a four-letter word as far as the politicians are concerned.

T. M. Bujak

Dayton

Pedestrian, pet receive assistance

I want to thank Mrs. McAffee for her help when I and my leashed dog were attacked by a dog in front of her house on Chaparral Drive on Aug. 4. She helped in getting the dog to retreat and offered to take me home in her car because of my injuries.

My dog had minor injuries, mine were more severe. The dog came up into her driveway again after the attack and could have come after me while trying to walk to my home two blocks away. Thank you for your concern.

Shirley LaBadie

Carson City

First V&T Railway run attracts a crowd

On Aug. 15, the V&T Railway took the first paying customers from Carson City to Virginia City, a trip that hasn't happened since 1938.

While I know there were a lot of people who thought it would never happen, the train is a reality. And coming from a family who loves riding steam trains, this trip was like a storybook adventure. We did expect some operational problems but we were really pleased to say that everything was handled with care and efficiency.

And the community really turned out to see the V&T run. Nearly every dirt and paved road from Carson City to Virginia City held people eager to record this historic event with their cameras. All I can say is, job well done to those who kept on when no one thought it was possible.

Bob Chambers

Gardnerville

Everybody knows you can't beat a dead horse

After the election victory of Barack Obama, the liberals assembled themselves for a little posthumous gloating over the "political demise" of John McCain and Sarah Palin - but especially Sarah Palin. Though having declared her a dead horse somewhere back in '08, they have continued to horsewhip her to this day.

The attacks upon Palin by the intelligentsia of socialism continue unabated and over the top. They have been so vehement, so superfluous, so gratuitous, so reiterative and so derogatory as to be sadistic. The only reasonable explanation for the effusive bad-mouthing of Palin is that her demonizers are angst-out with dread over her growing appeal to an increasing number of conservative Republicans and Independents.

Sarah Palin a dead horse? I don't think so. She is surely alive and well because, after all, everybody knows you don't beat a dead horse.

Orlis Trone

Fernley

Response from Reid no relief to voter

Reply to a letter from Sen. Harry Reid:

Your reply regarding prolotherapy is not worth my wait. What you have done is taken one of your standard letters on health care and added a sentence on prolotherapy (a non-surgical treatment for chronic pain) and advised that no such treatment is in Congress.

Well, if I was aware of that, I would not have written you. Prolotherapy needs the immediate action you are able to take on account of its urgency. It is a tremendous saving on Medicare and requires someone's attention. I had hoped it was yours but apparently you have chosen to ignore my request. I shall seek another avenue to bring attention to someone in government who will take action on it.

It is a waste of my time to bring anything to your attention for action. I shall keep this in mind come your election.

L. A. da Costa Jr.

Minden

Too few attended military ceremony

It was a great feeling to shake hands with Gov. Jim Gibbons and the staff that attended the recent Community Covenant Ceremony and our National Guards who attended. Brigadier Gen. Abe Abrams and Frank Gonzales, a few family, friends and veterans were also in attendance - the few (about 20).

I was very disappointed that the citizens of the great state of Nevada, who owe so much to their veterans and military, did not show up.

Our troops, your family members, friends and fellow Americans serve with no regrets, yet few citizens paid tribute at such an event concerning community support. I hear a lot of folks talk about our troops; more need to get involved. I think there should have been no room on the Capitol grounds.

I thank all who attended and gave support to this community covenant.

In April 2003, a few veterans from Special Forces and Vietnam Veterans began the troops' support movement, "Wear Red on Friday/-

Supporting Our Troops."

This movement has gone nationwide, and the Canadians have now adopted it. I have been instrumental in spreading the word from the beginning.

Please join in any cause that shows our great soldiers we here at home care, love and we never forget. Morale, I remember, but sometimes you just need to see and hear it. For God and country, they serve proudly.

Commander

Ronald W. Brown

Carson City

Past Missouri State Commander

Veterans of Underage Military Service

Can't work for it? Then don't buy it

Bad credit is a good thing. I have bad credit. I have had bad credit my whole life. My first loan was when I was 18 and I still have yet to pay it off. ( I'm 42 now).

I do not get solicited for loans, I have no credit card debt and I don't worry about my interest rate going up.

I live a comfortable, simple, life and I own my car outright.

It's just all of this despair that I've seen in the past year has proved to me how good I have it. These people that got into these serious financial messes did a bad thing to themselves and all of us by trying to buy more stuff.

I mean, a lot of people my age came off like big shots. My friends were all buying homes and cars and other items, and then were kind of looking down on me like I wasn't as good as them. Now the tables have turned and I'm looking down on them. And all of it is because I never got caught up in the national pastime of buying stuff. My bad credit has saved me from a lifetime of embarrassment and headaches.

So my advice to younger kids trying to get established is this: Don't believe the hype that "you need a credit card in case of an emergency" the multi-national banks are trying to sell you. And, if you can't work for it, you can't get it.

Greg Bierman

Carson City

Heller forgets who pays his salary

My thought to Rep. Dean Heller on the comment that "everybody else in the room paid for your car" is - I wonder who he thinks pays his salary, health care, etc.? Everybody in that room?

R.C. Hersey

Carson City