LETTERS: Stadium, Wranglers stories show disparity

To the editor:

Two articles in Saturday’s Review-Journal are important to our city taxpayers: First, the front-page article telling us that Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers’ petition drive failed (“Signature drive falls 1,300 short”). Mr. Beers was aiming to allow residents to vote on a proposed downtown soccer stadium that does not yet have a team. The politics deployed by the stadium supporters — led by Mayor Carolyn Goodman — in trying to keep residents from voting is breathtaking.

The second story, on the Sports cover, reports that the Wranglers ECHL hockey team has folded because the franchise could not find a suitable arena in town to play its games (“Wranglers fold after 11 seasons in Vegas”). Thankfully, even though the owners had an existing fan base and team, they did not come to the city begging for tens of millions of dollars — or more.

If the court sides with Mr. Beers on the petition drive, hopefully we will have our chance to vote on the soccer stadium. We still do live in a democracy, don’t we?

GARY MUSSER

LAS VEGAS

Lottery and tax money

To the editor:

Arthur Rossman’s letter (“Time for state to reconsider lottery,” Jan. 25 Review-Journal) has some excellent pointers for those Las Vegas City Council members who, once again, want to have taxpayer money go toward yet another possible white elephant: a downtown soccer stadium. If those interested private parties want to pursue the stadium on their own, so be it. Such a venture should not, in any way, involve taxpayers’ money. (Remember the F Street debacle?)

Declining revenue in such areas as property taxes is already creating a hole in Las Vegas City coffers. We most certainly don’t need to create another. Tax hikes must be avoided on our already strapped economy. At the very least, put the stadium to the test. Ask taxpayers to vote on the issue. As to the never ending money shortage in public schools, this is just pouring endless money down the proverbial well. Most of us can see the writing on the wall.

Mr. Rossman’s letter proposing reconsideration of a state lottery, by those who can force the issue and get results, makes a lot of sense. It is well past time that wealthy casino owners and their legislative supporters be outnumbered. Responsibility and action is what we need. As Mr. Rossman points out, many other states are generating millions of lottery dollars on a regular basis, so why can’t Nevada?

If we really wish to make a positive legislative move that can regularly direct millions of dollars to Nevada schools, then the answer is as plain as the nose on your face. A new law would have to earmark the lottery profits for our schools, roads and public safety, to ensure that none of it is diverted to other political pet projects. No one can tell me that the thousands of people who want to spend a few dollars on a lottery ticket and drive to the Nevada-California border to do it will put a huge dent in any casino’s profit margin. They collectively and regularly make billions.

Let’s produce something for the small guy who just wants to try his luck at winning something for a dollar or two, with an easily purchased ticket, at the local store, coffee shop or gas station. The lucky ticket owner’s point of sale location also stands to make some money on a big win. In the end, everybody wins, in some way.

Most of us in Las Vegas know our roads and highways are starving for a large cash inflow. Some of this funding takes years to be allocated and even longer to reach us. A lottery would provide some easy money for roads, cash-hungry public schools and other urgent needs.

GEOFFREY MARSH

LAS VEGAS

Yucca Mountain

To the editor:

For the life of me, I can’t understand why the federal government insists on cramming the Yucca Mountain repository down our throats (“NRC report stops short of approval,” Friday Review-Journal). Yucca Mountain is less than 100 miles from a major city that already has to deal with water problems.

If anything, why couldn’t the government look at Death Valley? It is below sea level, and we wouldn’t have to worry about runoff. Failing that, it should be obvious that the nuclear waste should remain in the states that produced it. After all, Nevada doesn’t have any nuclear power plants that produce the waste.

RICHARD ANDES

LAS VEGAS

Good Romney write-up

To the editor:

The Washington Post’s Philip Rucker wrote an excellent, albeit long, article about Mitt Romney (“Romney embraces Mormon beliefs,” Thursday Review-Journal). I hope Mr. Rucker’s articles about Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton, Rand Paul and other potential presidential candidates are written with such dedication. There’s nothing like getting to know the candidates who might run.

STEPHANIE WILSON

LAS VEGAS