Bush appointees on court save our gun rights

To the editor:

The Second Amendment was on shaky ground. Yes, the U.S. Supreme Court has effectively struck down gun-ban laws in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, affirming the right of American citizens to own guns. But these decisions came because -- and only because -- of George W. Bush's appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court.

If Al Gore or John Kerry had won either of those very close elections, our Second Amendment rights would now be in serious jeopardy.

Elections are not just about one person. Elections can transform our country for decades, if not forever.

Don't forget to take out the trash in November.

Bruce Blough

North Las Vegas

Get a job

To the editor:

In response to the Sunday letter from Brian Hughes, who blamed Republicans for blocking a bill that would have extended jobless benefits. Mr. Hughes writes: "Where am I supposed to live? ... What am I supposed to eat?"

Since when is it the government's responsibility to find Mr. Hughes a place -- let alone pay for a place -- to live? And why does the government have an obligation to feed him? Aren't those the responsibility of Mr. Hughes?

Is it really reasonable to expect the taxpayers, who are already on the hook for up to 99 weeks of unemployment, to have to pay until every last unemployed person finds a job? Where does this end?

The late Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman would have answered Mr. Hughes tactfully by telling him the answers to his questions could be found in the very newspaper he was reading: In the jobs listings.

Mr. Friedman believed that there was no such thing as unemployment; that jobs existed to employ every person -- albeit at a price. For example, the very newspaper that published Mr. Hughes' letter contains thousands of available jobs. Some might not be to Mr. Hughes' liking, but nevertheless they offer a paycheck and a sense of dignity for an honest day's work.

Mr. Hughes has a choice: He could take one of those jobs or he can continue blaming Republicans (who do indeed deserve a great deal of blame for the failed economy) for cutting off his "benefits."

Mr. Hughes will find a job if he truly wants one. More handouts aren't the solution.

David Liebrader

Las Vegas

Reid machine

To the editor:

After reading Laura Myers' excellent June 20 article on the "Reid Machine," it struck a chord in me about how Sen. Harry Reid is a typical, same-old, professional politician who continues to run the United States as his personal fiefdom instead of doing what is truly best for the citizens of this once-great country.

If his GOP opponent, Sharron Angle, is perceived as a David fighting a Goliath, it is because Sen. Goliath has consciously groomed himself and a "machine" of like-minded liberal supporters for the past eight years to prepare for and serve in his current role as Senate majority leader with an awareness that he might have a tough battle to keep his seat at some point.

I question how any person could effectively serve the citizens of this country and a state constituency while spending time, energy and resources building a "machine" of power and support to the extent that this Goliath has. Sen. Reid's "machine," much like the historically well-known Chicago machine, depends on union money to make up part of the $25 million the politician says he plans to spend during this fall's Senate campaign. And as machines go, that is probably just the money that is necessarily and legally reported.

Although money is a high priority, it is not the only way a political machine is built. Sen. Reid and his faction have not neglected to recruit minorities, knowing that the Obama administration's lack of enforcement of our immigration laws -- and their proposed changes to such laws -- could change the course of this country.

Simply put: Beware voting for a person who has spent the past eight years putting his energy into preparing for his own future instead of putting his energy totally into taking care of this country and its citizens.

Unless, of course, you want another same-old, professional politician to chart your future.

LUCIA D. BOYER

BULLHEAD CITY, AZ.

Good half

To the editor:

When viewing the commercial showing a worker standing near a solar panel and thanking Harry Reid for his job, Paul Harvey's "The rest of the story" comes to mind:

Our "green job" initiative, funded with federal money, comes at a price beyond the interest on the deficit.

Spain has already been down this road, and President Obama, ably assisted by Sen. Reid, is using Spain's green initiative plan and billions of dollars to try to stimulate our green jobs economy.

And now for the rest of the story.

Gabriel Calzada, an economist at the University of Madrid, has studied Spain's program for eight years -- and has some depressing results to share: Every green job created with government money came with a loss of 2.2 private-sector jobs; one in 10 of the newly created green jobs became permanent.

Because we are using the Spanish model, Mr. Calzada says we should expect the same results. The letdown will come after the election, so the ad serves its purpose by telling half of the story -- the good half.

LEE R. BISHOP

LAS VEGAS