LETTERS: Time for state to reconsider lottery

To the editor:

Some time ago, I sent an email to Gov. Brian Sandoval’s office with the following suggestion: Why doesn’t Nevada institute a state lottery? And of course, there was no reply.

Politicians are racking their brains, trying to figure out where to get money for schools, police, roads, salaries, etc. Yet I watch on TV the hours-long lines of people waiting to buy tickets in Arizona and California. A lot of them are Nevada residents who would buy tickets in Nevada if they could. Why are a few people, such as the major casino operators, allowed to control elected officials to the point where they are afraid to do what is good for the people?

I consider this to be in the best interest of Las Vegas and Nevada, as opposed to the casino owners’ concerns that the lottery would take money away from them. I don’t gamble, but if there were a Nevada lottery, I would buy tickets, as would a lot of other Nevadans. The people who do gamble will keep on gambling while they wait to see if their tickets win.

We watch millions of dollars go to other states, when we could be lining our coffers with the same money. It would create jobs and promote interest in Nevada. Think of all the tourists who would play the lottery. I see it as a win-win situation. Earmark the money for our schools, public safety and roads.

Forget raising taxes. There is a ton of money to be made from the lottery, and the taxpayers will be a lot happier.

ARTHUR ROSSMAN

LAS VEGAS

Real economic truths

To the editor:

Robert Latchford’s letter is long on statistics but short on explanations (“Economic truths,” Jan. 16 Review-Journal). He mentions that just before President Barack Obama took office, gasoline averaged $1.68 per gallon. What he doesn’t mention is that we were in a deep deflationary spiral, and the prices of real estate, equities and gas were in free fall. In the summer of 2008, the price of West Texas Intermediate Crude was above $130 a barrel and gasoline was $5 a gallon or more.

Mr. Latchford also mentions the declining labor force participation rate. He’s absolutely correct that this indicator has been declining. It’s been declining since the mid-1990s, and economists disagree on exactly why. A couple of facts can’t be disputed. There are 10,000 baby boomers retiring every day, and very advanced technologies are replacing low-wage workers. These phenomena have nothing to do with President Obama.

Mr. Latchford also mentions job growth, the unemployment rate and that there are 9.1 million people out of work. There are always millions of people out of work. This is what we economists call “frictional unemployment.” Labor force participants come and go for a variety of reasons. Frictional unemployment deals with the transitions employers and employees go through in the process of hiring workers and looking for work.

In post-World War II America, the frictional unemployment rate averaged between 4 and 5 percent. We are higher than that now, but getting close to the historic norm. In addition, there are close to 5 million job listings, a recovery high. This will make it easier for the unemployed to find suitable work.

Our economy is expanding, unemployment is dropping, and we are starting to see a dramatic increase in consumer confidence. It’s not perfect, but many countries are still waiting for any kind of post-recession recovery.

GERRY HAGEMAN

LAS VEGAS

Don’t hike gas tax

To the editor:

Kudos to Ron Moers for his letter, and to the Review-Journal for publishing it (“Gas tax backfire,” Jan. 14 Review-Journal). Mr. Moers stated the current price of gas “allows us to get out and spend more money and get on with a better life.” Right on. Now that the consumer finally gets a break, why would any politician want to raise the gas tax and block America from a rare opportunity to get back on track economically?

To eliminate the savings by raising the tax would once again sock it to the consumer. And what happens if the cost of gas increases again? Higher prices and higher taxes mean we would pay more than ever before. After all, taxes never go down, they only go up. Where does it say that consumers should never get a break, no matter what?

FELIX GIRARD

LAS VEGAS