Letters to the editor, Jan. 22

GOP candidates need to relate to middle class

I wish the candidates running for the Republican nomination would make a better connection to we middle-class voters. We, as consumers, have seen a severe drop in expendable income over the last several years. This country's supply-and-demand economy is dependent on our ability to purchase products and services.

Washington has grown too big off the sweat of our brow, believing they can create jobs while espousing they distribute our money better than we can.

We need a candidate who sides with the middle class and can articulate what truly needs to be done. Washington needs to draw down the size and participation of the federal government in our economy while progressively decreasing, over time, everyone's taxes to a level that is acceptable, one-third to one-half of current levels.

A considerable portion of the federal budget and workforce can be absorbed into the private sector. We the people are the driving force that creates business and jobs as demand dictates. Once business and jobs become plentiful due to a newly empowered consumer base, employers will be compelled to enhance/offer benefits, including health care, to keep good employees from going elsewhere, like the good old days, and no need for Obamacare.

We need a candidate who will stand up for the most important component of our free-enterprise system, a re-energized, capable consumer base. We the people can restore the highest level of growth and prosperity, armed with the dollars we have earned, not Washington.

David Husson

Carson City

No place for private money in political system

The U.S. Supreme Court was wrong, grossly wrong. Get big private money, i.e. Koch brothers, out of our political system. Individual and private contribution limits need to be established. We need publicly funded local, state and national primaries and elections.

Corporations, churches, synagogues, mosques and labor unions are not, and should not be considered the same as, nor should they have the same constitutional rights as individual citizens. These organizations should be prohibited from controlling and/or participating in PACs, super or otherwise.

The current system is corrupt, badly broken and threatens the very survival of our democratic republic. I call on all elected officials to support and ultimately fix the funding mechanisms of our election processes by supporting an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and, to once and for all, shut down K Street.

A copy of this has been sent to President Barack Obama, Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. Dean Heller and Rep. Mark Amodei.

Gary F. Nigro

Carson City

How would Heller help immigration system?

How cold-hearted can a single senator be? Sen. Dean Heller may have the largest hardened and cold heart in the U.S. Senate because he will not support the DREAM Act and he would modify birthright citizenship, as seen in the Jan. 7 Nevada Appeal.

The DREAM Act converts certain undocumented aliens to documented alien status. An undocumented alien meeting many criteria might be granted conditional permanent residency. Meeting further criteria might result in permanent residency. In no way is the DREAM Act amnesty.

The DREAM Act only affects persons who were brought into the United States as children by an adult, likely a relative. See Wikipedia to understand the criteria and the convoluted, cold-hearted history. Readers might note that the DREAM Act may increase government revenues.

Sen. Heller would modify the 14th Amendment birthright citizenship. Birthright citizenship prevents the federal and the state governments from abridging privileges and immunities of citizens. The idea is simple and is serving all of us well.

What specific problem is Sen. Heller attempting to solve? What evidence does Sen. Heller have in hand that anyone is "... giving benefits to non-United States citizens over United States citizens?"

The Appeal reports that he offered no ideas on what improvements are needed for the immigration system.

Unless Sen. Heller is willing to open his heart and his intellect, he does not deserve to be a U.S. senator.

Michael L. Greedy

Carson City

Thomas forgets some of Bush's presidency

Either columnist Bob Thomas has taken leave of his senses, or his memory has failed to remind him that our country ran into the ditch when the Republicans were in control of all branches of government. He has forgotten that President George W. Bush inherited a $155 billion budget surplus from President Bill Clinton and squandered it into a $1.5 trillion deficit.

He has forgotten that the Republican Congress supported Bush's disaster in Iraq, which cost 6,000 American lives and seriously worsened the deficit problem. He has forgotten that the Republican Congress created a $1 trillion Medicare drug benefit without a clue how to pay for it.

If that were not bad enough, he is blind to the fact that Republicans in Congress have thrown up obstacles to all of President Barack Obama's efforts to bring our country back to prosperity, even to the astonishing extent that they voted against Obama's proposed payroll tax cuts. Fortunately, Obama has prevailed and our country is climbing out of the Republican-induced depression.

While ignoring the past, Mr. Thomas looks into the future and sees financial Armageddon if Obama is re-elected. He suggests that all citizens become food hoarders. He predicts that all of the Republican candidates will support a return to the gold standard, which he thinks will save our country. This is madness.

Mr. Thomas is half right about one thing. The results of the presidential election could throw the country back into another depression, but only if another Republican is allowed to play president.

Phil Stotts

Carson City