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Rooftop solar helps the environment

The Mojave Desert isn’t just rocks and weeds. It is a wondrous place of plants and creatures, a place to protect and preserve for our children and grandchildren. It is a living system — and every living thing is affected by change.

Home solar is helping clean up our environment. Remember, everything is connected: For every action, there is a reaction. Home solar has considerably less impact on our fragile desert than the big solar arrays that NVEnergy uses. Every new solar field destroys more of the natural environment. Every existing home already has a footprint on the land, so why not take advantage of the rooftops? It’s more logical than damaging more land.

The recent decisions by the Public Utilities Commission that killed the home solar industry in Nevada make no sense to me. Not only do the board’s recent rulings uphold the monopoly supplying our electric power, they ignore the impact on our environment. Encourage home solar and leave the desert alone. It’s all connected, folks.

Karen Luksich

Las Vegas

Rigged election

So the GOP is trying to keep Donald Trump from winning the nomination. Apparently words, primaries, caucuses and whatever else are useless to the Republican Party. The vote of the people doesn’t mean anything. It reminds me of Third World politics.

I was never a Trump supporter, but if I am allowed to vote in the general election I will not be voting for anyone who is involved in a rigged election.

The laws of this “used to be great nation” are getting absurd, to say the least. It won’t be long before we cannot call it the best country in which to live. Sad, but I have seen so many changes for the worse when it comes to politics in my 60 years of voting.

At a time when this country should be pulling together, it is growing farther apart. That’s very sad to see.

James Rideout Sr.

Pahrump

Ballot question

Every day in America, 91 people are killed by guns. We can make Nevada a safer place by voting to pass The Background Checks For Gun Purchases​ Initiative in November.​​

The initiative will be Question 1 on your ballot.​ ​It is a common-sense proposal that will close loopholes in Nevada law that make it all too easy for domestic abusers, the dangerously mentally ill ​and felons to buy guns. Question 1 includes reasonable exceptions for hunting, self-defense​ and family.​

In just the past three years in Nevada, the background check system has blocked nearly 5,400 gun sales to felons and other prohibited purchasers​ who tried​ to buy guns at​ licensed​ gun store​s. If​ ​​a person buys a gun at a gun shop or sporting goods store, he or she must pass a background check. That’s already the law. A dangerous loophole allows unlicensed dealers to sell guns without background checks.​

It happens every day right here in Nevada. One recent study found that one in every 11 people shopping online for a gun in Nevada ​would be legally prohibited from ​buying a gun​.​ The background check initiative would​ expand​ background checks on gun sales​ to​ include online sales and gun shows.

It is that simple. That’s why a majority of Nevadans like me support criminal background checks.​ ​With a ​yes vote on this ballot question, we can build a safer community, a safer Nevada.​ ​

Janet Charlton

Las Vegas

Zika fight

I read that President Obama is stepping up the fight against Zika. Once again our president volunteers taxpayer money to save the world, this time to the tune of $2 billion.

Since the three cases in Nevada involved people who had recently visited Third World countries, specifically across our southern border, it is yet another example of why we need strict border enforcement. Instead, the president deems it more fitting that we squeeze yet more money from the beleaguered taxpayer to help solve a problem arising from a another foreign country too irresponsible to address this issue itself.

Disease is an oft-ignored byproduct of illegal, uncontrolled immigration.

Ron Moers

Henderson

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