LETTERS: City settlements encourage lawsuits

To the editor:

An article quoted North Las Vegas Chief Deputy City Attorney Bethany Sanchez stating, “Sometimes it’s worth it to pay a settlement to avoid the more expensive cost of a trial” (“North Las Vegas pays $25,000 for shooting of dogs,” June 4 Review-Journal). North Las Vegas paid $25,000 to settle a civil rights lawsuit involving police officers who fatally shot two dogs while serving a search warrant in 2008. When the actions of the officers were deemed to be justified, the case should have gone to trial.

This incident reminds me of a very good speech by an attorney for a large city. Prior to being elected to office, he said the city was settling many lawsuits out of court, as it was cheaper than going to court. But he made a decision that if he felt the city was correct in what it did, he would take the case to trial. He said most of the previous lawsuits had been filed by one law firm.

Once he was in office and began going to trial over these lawsuits, he said the legal actions began substantially declining. By not supporting the city when you believe its actions were justified, you encourage the filing of lawsuits, regardless of the merits of the case. When the city is justified regarding whatever action was taken, the case should go to trial, without consideration of the cost.

I think North Las Vegas can expect more lawsuits in the future if this process is allowed to continue.

CHUCK WOOD

HENDERSON

Transgender restrooms

To the editor:

I was dismayed after reading the article on transgender students (“Transgender CCSD students seek change,” May 27 Review-Journal). The story discussed the possible accommodations the Clark County School District might have to make for transgender students.

Part of the story referred to a 12-year-old — yes, a 12-year-old — male student who “transitioned” to a female. We are talking about kids here. Kids with limited life experience who, by definition, are not capable of making decisions that most adults have difficulty in making.

CCSD has enough on its plate trying to improve the educational outcomes of every student, without worrying about which restrooms students should use. Therefore, CCSD should make it policy that until students reach the age of 18, they will be treated as the gender they were born. Whatever students decide with their lives when they reach maturity is their business. I don’t believe we should burden the school district with yet another totally unnecessary policy to enforce.

TREVOR HENSON

HENDERSON

Public-sector unions

To the editor:

I find it amazing that we the people have allowed the issues with public-sector unions to rise to their current level. In my opinion, public-sector unions should be banned. Taxpayers deserve to have our money spent as wisely as possible for the services we receive. Unions make that impossible.

Through a combination of little to no oversight, mismanagement and corruption, our tax dollars are being wasted on a daily basis. There are so many examples at all levels of government — from the IRS to the Department of Motor Vehicles to the Clark County School District — to make the case that public-sector unions should be abandoned.

JIM OLSEN

NORTH LAS VEGAS

Climate change goals

To the editor:

I believe global warming is a major problem and that if humanity does not solve that problem in the very near future, horrible times await. However, those leaders committed to phasing out fossil fuels by the end of the century have no understanding of the impossibility of achieving that goal (“Leaders to fight harder to halt climate change,” June 9 Review-Journal).

No fossil fuels means no airplanes. Without fossil fuels, the only way international trade can continue is by converting every freighter into an atomic freighter. That cannot happen. Without international trade, the industrialized U.S. will collapse in a few weeks. No one has shown that green energy could heat Moscow, New York, Chicago, etc.

By the year 2100, there could be as many as 2 billion cars and trucks on the world’s roads, and no one has shown that green energy could propel those vehicles. When humanity exhausts fossil fuels — and they will be exhausted, as they are finite and limited — there will be a dramatic and violent decrease in human population, unless that situation is planned for at least 100 years in advance.

JASON G. BRENT

LAS VEGAS