An excellent look at investors’ anguish

To the editor:

I and 6,000 other investors in bankrupt USA Capital would like to thank Hubble Smith and the Las Vegas Review-Journal for the well-written, researched article in Saturday's Business section ("USA Capital investors blame courts").

We had been trying for 21/2 years to get the media interested in the plight of the USA Capital investors and how the courts and legal community have damaged the investors, creating a horrible, costly mess. Bankruptcy Judge Linda Riegle made decisions to pay off the army of attorneys drawn to this case, like bees to honey, to share in the spoils, and she displayed a lack of due diligence in letting Compass Partners take over the loan servicing.

And we can't forget the Nevada Mortgage Bureau, which didn't perform required timely audits of USA Capital books, allowing this to happen. I think the agency said it was sorry. That and 75 cents will buy us a newspaper.

The USA Capital culprits, Tom Hantges and Joe Milanowski, are still walking the streets. The FBI says it pursues only larger financial cases due to a lack of investigators. Thanks a lot.

The Bernard Madoff case involves $50 billion looted from famous and rich people. This case was only $1 billion and involved many peons, but I submit that the hundreds of thousands of dollars many of us lost was more devastating than a $1 million loss to any of the Madoff investors. Many of us in our working years earned much lower wages, so our Social Security checks are small in this inflationary society. We also worked before the advent of 401(k)s and IRAs, so our savings in certificates of deposit were insufficient to support many old retirees who can't work to augment their income.

I urge the Review-Journal to continue reporting on this case. Mr. Smith has hit just some of the low points, but the deceit by the legal profession still continues after 33 months.

After the money runs out, stay away from the courthouse doors. The exodus of attorneys will be like Moses leaving Egypt.

Eugene Wiehe

TORRANCE, CALIF.

Killing the goose

To the editor:

In response to Howard Stutz's Sunday column on gaming, I have another explanation for the decline in casino revenue: They got too greedy.

They switched out all the machines, got rid of coin receptors and got rid of all those jobs. I used to drop my loose change into machines all the time. Now I save it.

They must have really tightened them up something awful -- no one can win anything. If I don't feel I have a chance of winning even a small amount, I'm not going to gamble. I would sooner throw my money out in the street. I hardly walk into a casino now. It just doesn't seem to pay. I frequent the casinos only if I have out-of-town visitors who want to go and gamble.

Corporate America, the owners of the casinos, has killed the goose that laid the golden egg.

Marlene Drozd

LAS VEGAS

Great experience

To the editor:

Coming from New York and living part of my life in Los Angeles, I was exposed to many cultural activities such as museums, zoos and other quality places to take my children while they were growing up. Now that I have a grandchild who comes to visit us, my wife and find it very hard to find high-quality activities to take him to.

But I see some hope. Over the holidays, we took our grandchild and his parents to the Springs Preserve. Las Vegas, we have a winner here. We spent more than five hours there and found it to be beautifully done. Our grandchild spent the hours being challenged by many of the exhibits and interactive activities.

The adults also found many interesting new things about Las Vegas and its origins. The exhibits where laid out in very spacious surroundings, and the place was extremely well cared for. The staff was outstanding -- very friendly and proud of the preserve and what it had to offer. We also had lunch at the cafe. Another winner here.

The cost was another great surprise. Because I am local I was able to get a reduced price on our entry. We had four adults (two seniors) and one child, and the total cost was about $75. It's a deal. Don't change it, just advertise it. We need the locals to support this facility. We also need to sell it to the tourists and their families.

I could not be happier that some of my water bill went to this facility. I understand they are planning to move the Nevada State Museum to this site. I say do it. Why not move the Lied Discovery Children's Museum there, too?

Neil Schwartz

LAS VEGAS