Commissioner overstepped her bounds

When one hears about voters in this country being fed up with out-of-control government, Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani is a prime example. Her actions regarding zoning issues for small farm animals (goats, chicken and horses) on Mount Charleston speak for themselves (“Effort to ban farm animals on Mount Charleston fails,” March 31 Review-Journal).

We all have the nosy neighbor who thinks they “run” the neighborhood. Like a good neighbor, Ms. Giunchigliani took it upon herself to violate the privacy of her neighbors before sending out a letter advising people she has no control over to remove their animals. This stinks of government official entitlement. As a government official, your actions are under scrutiny. The simple appearance of this should have been enough to deter her from these actions.

Unfortunately for Ms. Giunchigliani, the citizens of the community are in charge, not her. First, it’s not her commission district — and it would have been even more egregious if it were. I can only imagine how happy the full-time residents are to have a part-time resident such as Ms. Giunchigliani try to dictate how they should live in their own community.

I was happy to see that more than one-third of the community signed a petition against banning small farm animals. More than 100 people out of a population of 357 residents showed up to stand up for their rights. I salute every single one of them.

I’m grateful that the Mount Charleston Town Advisory Board listened and responded to the citizens of the community. Maybe Ms. Giunchigliani could move to a community that shares her view on these issues, instead of trying to force her views on everyone else.

Remember this, all ye public officials: You are hired help, and we the people can fire you come election time. We are watching.

Mike Measday

Las Vegas

Minimum wage

I’ve been reading all the columns and letters to the editor about how minimum wage increases will kill jobs, hurt businesses, etc. — all of which is true. What I have not seen is any reporting on the person who started a job at minimum wage, has worked for a company for five years and is now earning $15 per hour. Is that person going to be content? No.

It would be reasonable to expect a wage commensurate with that person’s experience and training over and above the minimum wage new hire. Even a longer-term employee who earns $25 per hour would expect a commensurate raise.

If absolutely minimal skill and experience is now worth $15, all wages should rise exponentially. But, of course every product and service would then drastically leap in price, businesses would suffer and jobs would become scarcer as they are moved overseas.

This issue reflects the liberal bias that business people are evil and greedy and employees are the victims. But every working person is, in a fashion, an entrepreneur whose commodity is his intelligence, skill and experience. To earn more, you must make yourself worth more.

No business survives by selling a lousy product without ever improving it. The same is true for people and employees.

Judith Hagen

Las Vegas

Good work

A few months ago there was much “weeping and gnashing of teeth” by the left because of the “secretive” purchase of the Review-Journal by Sheldon Adelson. The left was not satisfied with having The New York Times (read: the Las Vegas Sun) pushed upon us by certain government institutions and Harry Reid.

Fast forward and we are fortunate to have a great editorial page from which we can all learn something. Instead of dealing with “could-ofs” and “maybes,” the editorials deal with, in the words of Joe Friday, just the facts, ma’am.

Kudos to the editors of the Review-Journal. Keep up the good work.

R Scott Elsasser

Las Vegas