LETTERS: It’s not worth paying for MGM parking

Once again, we the people, locals and tourists alike, are being gouged ("MGM to charge for parking," Jan. 16 Review-Journal). The only saving grace for having a night out on the Strip was that at least we didn't have to pay for parking in the garages. It's not like we aren't being overcharged for the shows and drinks, right?

And have you ever tried to get out of the MGM Grand parking garage after a concert? It took an hour and a half for the last concert I attended.

I am writing to MGM Resorts, too, to give them my two cents. If that's all they wanted to charge us to park, I wouldn't care.

Janice Green-Tartan

Henderson

Obama and gun control

Regarding Jim Graham's letter ("Gun control," Tuesday's Review-Journal), it is quite obvious he supports President Barack Obama. Mr. Graham states that while the Second Amendment has been deemed to mean gun ownership is a constitutional right, it does not guarantee immediate possession. He claims if anything, gun ownership might be delayed by a couple of days, but that it's certainly not prohibited by any actions the president has taken.

Mr. Graham would be well advised to check how many states have a "cooling off" period before a sold firearm can be taken home. Extensive background checks are also performed when an application is submitted for a Firearm Owners Identification Card, concealed weapons permit or anytime a law-abiding citizen purchases a firearm.

The president sets the tone and should be castigated for his stance on guns. President Obama does not enforce any law he doesn't care for. Instead, he circumvents with executive orders whatever doesn't fit his agenda. There have been several instances in which he's spoke out and severely undermined law enforcement officers. And sadly, on a number of occasions, he's made statements without knowing the full extent of the situations, and those remarks have had severe consequences.

Mr. Graham mentions being able to purchase a gun illegally at a gun show or over the Internet without benefit of a background check. He failed to mention the thousands of guns that can be bought illegally on any street corner. You certainly don't need a background check for those purchases. How about all the guns stolen from homes? Where do those weapons go? Do criminals who burglarize homes get background checks? What about all the shipments of new firearms that never make it to their legal destinations? Do the people who steal these shipments get background checks? Why does Mr. Obama not seem concerned about things like this?

What has Mr. Obama done that has affected me personally? If space allowed, I could fill up the entire opinion page of the RJ. But suffice it to say that what he has done is make it more difficult for a law-abiding citizen to exercise her Second Amendment right.

Barbara R. Mazur

Las Vegas

Autonomous cars

With driverless cars, the same crowd that muzzled children's play on playgrounds and at schools has set its sights on adults ("Nevada taking driver's seat," Jan. 6 Review-Journal). Under that crowd's mantra, human drivers are not safe and must be replaced. The auto industry smells big profits and is raring to raise prices to provide vehicles that are under complete computer control. The White House czars recognize driverless cars as another instance where Big Brother must protect us from ourselves, and proposes to spend billions of dollars over the next few years to accomplish this goal.

I am a skeptic. Sudden accelerations, ignition switch malfunctions, air bags that launch deadly projectiles, etc., have made me so. Safe driving should not be dependent on a software programmer and a collection of dubious sensors. Attempts to allow driverless cars to share our public roads should be squelched before the industry-government juggernaut gains momentum. Sharing would likely be followed by a progression from some lanes to all lanes being restricted to driverless vehicles.

All of this poses a threat to our individual freedom and our pocketbooks.

Richard McGarrity

Las Vegas