Another tax study? Don’t bother
To the editor:
In response to your Tuesday report, "Raggio urges examination of state taxes":
By nature, Nevada tax revenues increase with the expansion of the economy. If there is a retraction of the economy, revenues need to go down. The state's coffers should not be guaranteed.
The taxpayers have already hit the tipping point as far as how much they pay in local, state and federal taxes and fees.
The laziest way for lawmakers to manage the budget is to increase taxes. What the question should always be is, "What are you willing to give to fund a new program?"
The Nevada Constitution should have caps on taxes or there will never be an end to the legislators trying to increase fees and taxes. Everybody is always in need. The role of government is not to provide for everyone, but to provide an environment in which we can live and have liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Spending $300,000 on a study so the state government can look for more ways to take the hardworking taxpayers' money is negligent, lazy and, in a time of great recession, criminal.
Darrell Row
LAS VEGAS
Hurting our health
To the editor:
The Senate Judiciary Committee has passed Senate Bill 372, which would undo the 2006 voter-approved Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act (Saturday Review-Journal). The bill would allow smoking in bars, restaurants and slot machine areas of grocery and convenience stores as long as minors are restricted from entry.
The committee failed to recognize the public health risks of smoking, secondhand smoke and thirdhand smoke, which are the gases and particles that cling to smokers and nonsmokers' hair, clothing and car interiors. People take these particles home and expose family and friends to them. Then there are the cushions and carpeting in public venues, where particles linger long after smoke has cleared from a room. The residue includes heavy metals, carcinogens and radioactive materials.
Nevada has appalling statistics related to the use of tobacco and related health care issues. In Nevada, 21.5 percent of adults smoke. Smoking kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined, and thousands more die from other tobacco-related causes.
Health care costs in Nevada directly caused by smoking are $565 million a year. At the same time, access to health care is being cut in Nevada and the tobacco industry is spending $13.4 billion annually in marketing expenditures.
In overturning the will of the public, the Legislature is jeopardizing the well-being of Nevadans.
John Marchese
HENDERSON
Bad time for raise
To the editor:
In your April 8 article "Wage jump comes in July," you raise some scary prospects for Nevadans when the minimum wage goes up this summer. People need to be warned that this increase, approved by voters in economic good times, will probably result in making our current bad times much worse.
An increase in the minimum wage will ripple across all employers' expenses. Being unable to pass this expense on to customers, businesses will be forced to lay off even more people and cut back hours and other expenses.
Is it that hard to see what this will result in? It will lead to higher unemployment rates and even more businesses closing up or filing for bankruptcy, greatly slowing our recovery.
Our representatives in Carson City and Washington need to consider delaying this increase for a year (or two) and allow the economy enough time to get back on its feet.
This increase was planned when the economy looked a lot healthier, but in light of the current state of things it's now a very bitter poison pill.
THOMAS J. STANSFIELD
LAS VEGAS
Short memories
To the editor:
In response to your April 9 article on the "60 Minutes" segment that examined the closure of University Medical Center's outpatient oncology clinic, among other budget cuts:
First and foremost, my heart goes out to the families affected by the closing of the clinics at UMC.
But it is amazing that people have such short memories. The problems with UMC have been happening for years, starting with former Chief Executive Officer Lacy Thomas.
In 2005, Thomas granted an $8 million-per-year contract to Pacific Anesthesia Consultants for work that could have been contracted to other doctors for about $3.4 million less. Thomas also is accused of misappropriating more than $10 million through no-work contracts with his Chicago friends (no telling how much more was "awarded").
As money was siphoned out of the hospital, so went the patient services. None of this was brought up in the "60 Minutes" piece, nor in the local newspapers as they were bashing UMC for balancing its budget.
Clark County has already paid $60 million to bail out the hospital, and it looks like we are going to have to do it again. The greed of a few will cost the lives of patients.
Shawn M. Preston
LAS VEGAS
