Letters to the editor for Friday, March 6, 2015

The human factor of drinking and driving

With our unseasonably warm temperatures, it feels like it is time to light up the barbecue, invite some friends over and celebrate. If this is what you are planning to do, please remember not to drink and drive.

You would think that this message has been passed along for so long that people would take the time to designate a driver, call a cab, or just arrange to stay the night at a friend’s home. Unfortunately, not everyone is getting the message, and we still have crashes where alcohol plays a factor.

Even a light “buzz” can interfere with your ability to drive, so why take the risk? Not only are you taking a chance on being involved in a car crash, you are also putting others at risk. People you may or may not know who have the misfortune of being victims of your careless decision.

Nothing will kill that buzz quicker than a ride to the hospital and the costs associated with the medical and legal fees that will follow when you are arrested for DUI. Let’s not forget the human factor; did someone get hurt or killed? How will that affect your future?

Life is about decisions. Make the right one — don’t drink and drive.

Sgt. Scott McDaniel

Carson City Sheriff’s Office

Feds should give land back

Anne Macquarie’s column relates how the UK has rules that preclude the average citizen from accessing rivers and streams as they are privately held. This is a direct result of all property, including game animals, being originally “owned” by the Crown, or royal families.

The typical scene was that the peasants (also owned by the Crown) starved while the gentry lived in excess. We fought a war with the Crown to have private ownership of property among other things. Result? In the USA all navigable waterways are accessible by anyone up to and including the high water line.

So, why the fuss Ms. Macquarie? The U.S. government owns 84.5 percent of the land in Nevada! That is more than 110,000 square miles!

I would posit that it is high time for the feds (Crown) to start selling or granting some of this land back to individual ownership so that it can be used to its highest and best purpose. Please do not conflate our U.S. system with the UK system.

John Wood

Carson City