LETTERS: Government helps perpetuate poverty

To the editor:

We have had the war on poverty, a total failure, $18 trillion-plus spent and we’ve barely moved the needle. We’ve had the war on drugs, another failure, with no treatment and no jobs training. There’s a war on children, with public education in every major city graduating students who can’t read, write or do basic math and who can’t get jobs. And now we have the war on police.

All of these skirmishes are directly related to our federal and local elected officials, who for the past 40 or so years have propagated the notion that everyone is a victim, and that government programs, policies and money are the only answer. The Democratic Party has thrived on this notion and continues the false narrative that government programs and policy are the answer. The Republican Party contributes to the problem by lacking moral conviction and failing to tell the truth. Instead, they show cowardice by not providing alternatives and by worrying that they may offend a segment of the population.

Thanks to these programs and polices, we have created a permanent population of impoverished people who can’t get a good education and meaningful employment, generation after generation. The government continually tells them they are victims in need of assistance, when in actuality we have created a population totally dependent on government programs — a population which will never have the ability to succeed.

And we have created a voting bloc, which for Democrats is absolutely a necessity. Therefore, the phony programs will continue.

People need to take control of their own lives and not let government dictate their future. Demand a good education for your children. If you don’t, your future will be exactly the same as the past, and those in charge will continue to control your destiny.

DOUG MANOOKIAN

LAS VEGAS

Gay marriage

To the editor:

So now the Supreme Court, in its infinite wisdom, is going to answer the issue of same-sex marriage. I have news for the justices: There is no correct answer, no right or wrong, no black or white. Marriage is defined as a religious institution between a man and a woman that is able to create life. So we are talking about religious freedom versus civil rights.

People on both sides of this issue make valid points. However, in recent years, it has become more politically correct to support same-sex marriage, because if you don’t, it means you are anti-gay — which is not necessarily the case. This results in people who get lots of exposure in the media — celebrities and politicians, in particular — supporting same-sex marriage. Hillary Clinton has already done so, though I think that was to basically gain the liberal vote and that of the younger generation.

Compromise will have to be made on both sides. The one thing that tips the scales for me is for the innocent victims who don’t get to vote on it: children. The bond between children and parents is very special, and to force a little girl who wants a mom to instead have a male substitute is unforgivable. I wonder what Hillary Clinton would say to that child. I don’t think it would be, “It is more important to be able to buy pizza where you want to.”

CHUCK DAVISON

WASHINGTON, UTAH

Draining Lake Mead

To the editor:

As a lifelong resident of Las Vegas, I remember when all the water came from wells. In the 1950s, there was a drought, and I remember that police patrolled the neighborhoods to prevent any outside use of water.

Decades ago, people in Tucson, Ariz., realized they lived in a desert. They’ve had landscaping and water restrictions in place ever since. In the not too distant past, I believe the Las Vegas Valley Water District indicated that more than 65 percent of our water usage goes to outdoor landscaping.

In 1983, Lake Mead was pouring over the spillways. It was an amazing sight. Now, the consumption is draining it at the rate of a foot per week (“As Hoover Dam opens valves, Lake Mead hits new lows,” April 28 Review-Journal).

I watched as developers and politicians trashed the valley with unbridled growth. Seven thousand people a month moved here, beginning in 1984, when all the insanity started, until the bottom fell out eight years ago. I used to joke to my wife that they wouldn’t stop building until every faucet in the valley was sucking mud.

It’s great to see two new water parks open in the past year, while the Colorado River can no longer provide the water required to supply the entire Southwest. This fact can no longer be ignored. Wake up!

JIM HUNTER

LAS VEGAS

Baltimore mother

To the editor:

I was saddened and amazed when I saw editorial cartoons published in the Review-Journal endorsing mothers who hit their children to teach them a lesson about rioting.

Think about what those mothers are really teaching their children.

ROSE D. SIGMAN

LAS VEGAS