To the editor:

Lately, the Review-Journal has published scathing letters by readers who have one objective: to besmirch the character of Nevada Sen. Harry Reid and the Democratic Party. These conservative readers want to distract the public from the immoral and incompetent conduct of the Bush administration.

President Bush and his minions consistently wave the pro-life flag, yet their actions have done more to damage life than to preserve it. They work tirelessly to "save the lives" of the unborn, yet they support the killing of convicts. They say life is precious, yet the president's war in Iraq has unleashed a whirlwind of carnage; almost 2,000 U.S. soldiers now lie in their tombs prematurely. Obviously, killing humans outside the womb is OK for the Republicans.

The Bush administration often preaches the idea of responsibility. Yet they have committed a plethora of irresponsible acts. President Bush appointed an unqualified crony, Michael Brown, to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Mr. Brown's poor leadership placed survivors in deeper peril in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Republicans are also guilty of economic and legal irresponsibility: the national deficit is now sky high, and a cloud of scandal hovers over key Republicans.

The next time myopic conservative readers throw insults at the Democratic Party and its leaders, I hope they reflect on the unethical and irresponsible behavior of their party. It is the least they can do.

Alma Rosa Mendoza

LAS VEGAS

Bait and switch

To the editor:

Your Saturday editorial on the sales tax increase to fund new police officers, and how it could be redirected by the Metropolitan Police Department to fund pay raises for current officers ("Police contract betrays voters"), raises serious questions about how the will of the people is carried out.

Was it not possible to place enough safeguards on the sales tax increase to make certain that new revenues were used for the intended purpose of providing additional officers? I find this a little hard to believe. Neither the police union, nor the department itself, should be in control of budgetary issues when voters have approved a tax increase for a specific purpose.

I feel that the public has been hoodwinked with a bait-and-switch maneuver that should be illegal.

Eric Stefik

LAS VEGAS

Police pay

To the editor:

After reading your Saturday editorial on the new police contract, I again find myself aghast at your views of police in our valley.

"Police officers deserve to be well-compensated, but this contract is far too generous," you wrote. Huh?

Tell that to the parents of the little baby who was revived after a police officer breathed life back into his lungs after he drowned. Tell that to the relatives of the suicidal man who was dragged from his burning car by a lone police officer in the middle of the night. Tell that to the relatives of a murder victim after a detective spent hundreds of hours on a case, away from family, to put a killer in prison.

Tell it to the battered wife who had a police officer shield her from her husband's bullets, only to be shot in the head himself -- and survive. Tell it to the dozens of police officers in this valley who, over the years, have been shot by violent sociopaths, run over by drunks, hit by cars or otherwise injured while protecting this great city, and then ask yourself: "How much should the job pay?"

Las Vegas is the No. 1 destination in the world. Pay your police well and watch as we reap the benefits of a safer community. We deserve to be the best-paid police in the world because we have earned it -- and you should demand it.

Ashton Packe

LAS VEGAS

THE WRITER IS A LAS VEGAS POLICE OFFICER.

Ignoring future needs

To the editor:

It is beyond comprehension that the Review-Journal and others support the token tax rebate that will be bestowed to the citizens of Nevada ("Finally, rebates are on the way," Sunday editorial).

In a state that ranks among the lowest in the country in educating its young citizens and until recently had no viable vehicle to treat its cancer patients, our esteemed governor and state Sen. Bob Beers have managed to shower our citizens with tokens ranging from $75 to $275 while losing an opportunity to make some material differences in the future of this fine state with the $300 million being disbursed.

This state is known for the vehicles of instant satisfaction and gratification: gambling, partying and, in certain areas, prostitution. Fortunately, the business climate is among the best in the country and the tax revenues derived therefrom have created this surplus. Logic would dictate that surplus dollars would be deployed to build a strong foundation for continued growth, accompanied by strong support for education and medical institutions.

Unfortunately, our leaders in Carson City have chosen to ignore our future.

Bob Understein

HENDERSON

Snip, snip

To the editor:

After reading that conservative talk radio host and former Education Secretary William Bennett said we could reduce the crime rate if more black babies were aborted, I had a thought about how to end racism. If you really want to end racism in the world, simply abort all of the fetuses of pregnant racist women. And while you're at it, you could spay and neuter the racists altogether. Your color or culture do not matter: If you are a racist, then you get the knife. Child molesters and rapists should get the knife, too.

Now that I am thinking of it, we could also end world poverty and most crimes with a similar program. If we were to abort all of the fetuses of the rich elites, then there would be no one to inherit their billions and, eventually, the whole corrupt and greedy, white-collar, criminal class would disappear. Voila! No more poverty. We could spay and neuter the rich people, too.

This would all lead to an enormous reduction in the crime rate, as most crimes are committed by either greedy rich people or desperate poor people. By getting rid of the obsessed oppressors, you would drastically decrease the need of the oppressed to commit crimes. You'd be killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.

COREY COGLEY

LAS VEGAS