Arts district gets no respect from city
To the editor:
The people in the downtown Las Vegas arts district are learning a lesson when it comes to business in Las Vegas: money talks.
As I have lived in Las Vegas, I have learned that nothing is forever -- districts, streets, buildings, anything. Street names change, buildings are destroyed and districts (even districts the city drew) change. Nothing is sacred in this city.
It's best for the people in the arts district to move to a city where things truly matter and are held safe no matter what. Money talks in this valley. If a developer wants a street name changed, it's changed. If a developer wants a district changed, it's changed. If a developer doesn't want to improve traffic flow, he doesn't have to. If a developer doesn't want to build an arena on an already vacant piece of land, he doesn't have to.
It makes me sad to say this, but Las Vegas will never truly be a real city. It will never have a professional sports team -- and even if it does, no one will support it because most of the people who live here are from somewhere else and they support their hometown teams.
Las Vegas will never have a world-class zoo, aquarium, museum, transportation system, etc. The list could go on and on.
I have lived in Las Vegas for more than 20 years, and it seems the city (including unincorporated Clark County) has always been striving to be world-class. But being world-class has more to do with making it a place people want to live as opposed to just visit.
The only reason people live here (and I am guilty as well) is for money. I make good money with relatively little college education, otherwise I would have left long ago.
The arts district is just another victim of business as usual in the city that isn't really a city.
Cody Straub
LAS VEGAS
Land deals
To the editor:
Thank you for your "Trust must be earned" commentary and "The public doesn't need to worry" editorial, both in the July 1 Review-Journal. Again, you hit the nail on the head regarding local land deals and the downtown arena plan.
After carefully reading and digesting both articles, it came to mind that most of the taxpaying public is not fully aware of the government Request For Proposal (RFP) process. What I am suggesting is that the Review-Journal prepare a sort of primer regarding this process to better inform the public. I have taken the liberty of asking the following questions based on my experience as noted below, plus having written many articles on the subject.
How extensively was the RFP advertised? How many proposals were received? From what parts of the country/world did the proposals originate? What were the guidelines defining parameters of the responders? How were these guidelines formed? Were they biased to favor only certain companies? Who evaluated the proposals to eventually arrive at a "short" list?
I was manager of contracts for several billion-dollar projects worldwide. For public bidding, our evaluation procedures were transparent.
Please keep the light bright on this very important project.
Anthony Stephen
LAS VEGAS
Stephens platform
To the editor:
I was thinking the other day what I would do if I were running for president. What would be my goals and the programs to accomplish those goals? Here they are:
1. Jobs with livable pay -- $5 an hour is not livable, $15 an hour should be the minimum wage -- and homes for all.
2. Instead of jails and prisons, we'd have recovery centers. And a program for every kind of mental illness. People who commit crimes are not mentally well. Instead of guards and jailors, we'd have counselors and psychiatrists. Then, on the outside, support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous would be mandated.
3. Stop cocaine and crack from coming into this nation. People in high places of power are making money off of the misery and genocide of the colored people in this country. This would also reduce crime by more than 50 percent.
4. Tax reconstruction. No more loopholes, deductions or anything else. A simple system, deducted from wages. Or in case of self-owned business, a percentage of profits would have to be sent in. No more filing except for self-owned business. The IRS just keeps everything that is deducted. For example: Anything over $250,000 goes to the IRS; wages between $200,000 and $249,000 would be taxed at 10 percent; those from $150,000 to $199,999 at 5 percent; between $100,000 and $149,999 at 2.5 percent; and earnings under $100,000 at 1 percent.
5. Free education should be compulsory through two years of college or trade school. College expands your mind much past what high school can do. It can create open-minded, tolerant, thinking people.
There is my program. I want peace and happiness for myself, my city, my country and my world. There should be a law against greed.
I am a teacher. I taught in the Los Angeles hood for 18 years. I am now teaching in a poverty neighborhood in Las Vegas. The devastating effects of poverty and drugs I have dealt with for 21 years. I don't want to deal with the effects anymore. I want to eliminate them.
The rich people are getting richer (though poorer in spirit) and the poor people are getting poorer. That needs to be stopped.
sharon stephens
LAS VEGAS
