Democrats stand against tyranny of the minority

To the editor:

From the mayor to the governor to John Ensign -- haven't conservatives embarrassed us enough? Now we find out another group of conservatives will invade Searchlight. They bear no resemblance to the original patriots of the Boston Tea Party, who fought a corporate monopoly granted by King George (something like George Bush and Haliburton).

The current group only protest the lawfully elected government of the United States. The majority elected President Obama and the Democratic Party. Conservatives are upset that the majority voted them out. Tough.

In a democracy the majority rule, not the few who think they know better than the many. They want to return to a monarchy, the majority be damned.

We fought many wars to protect ourselves from a tyranny of the minority. We stand ready to fight another.

Joseph Hall

Las Vegas

Destroying a nation

To the editor:

Some of our forefathers came to this continent from England to escape tyranny and oppression from a European monarch. They fought a revolutionary war, established a government and wrote a document called the Constitution. (Some people may recall the Constitution ... if not, you can Google it). Sadly this document has recently become irrelevant and the principles of freedom and a constitutional republic no longer exist.

Every administration in my lifetime has done something that I have disagreed with. But I have never seen an administration destroy a country from within until now. Sunday's congressional vote was a betrayal of the majority (about 65 percent) of the American people and has the potential to be more damaging to our country than 9/11.

However, it's a done deal. Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and President Obama won and the American people lost. My question is where do the 65 percent who are no longer represented by our government turn? We are no longer represented in the White House or Congress, our Constitution has been reduced to liberal, progressive toilet paper, and our government's No. 1 priority during the worst financial meltdown in our history is to create astronomical debt and give us socialized health care.

I wonder if the line at the abortion clinics will move more quickly than the lines at the DMV.

Where are we citizens of the former United States to go now that this progressive-liberal pogrom against us has begun? I know Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid would tell us to just go to hell. Remember the fall of the Roman Empire ... well the Visigoths are not only at the gates, but they just passed socialized medicine.

Cole Walker

Henderson

Drunks and hookers

To the editor:

I made the mistake of reading Sherman Frederick's March 16 column. What was particularly obnoxious was his trite passage, "Nevada was founded on faith, freedom and family." Let's be honest. It really wasn't and isn't so romantic. Nevada was founded on illiterate miners, drunks, prostitutes, and crooked politicians.

And let's not forget crackpot newspaper publishers.

ELIZABETH COOK

LAS VEGAS

Matter of safety

To the editor:

In the Review-Journal's March 19 editorial "Another federal Incursion," the author wrongly states that the 10th Amendment limits congressional power when it comes to supervising worker health and safety.

As explained by Congress in the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, "personal injuries and illnesses arising out of work situations impose a substantial burden upon, and are a hindrance to, interstate commerce in terms of lost production, wage loss, medical expenses and disability compensation payments." Congress can, as a result, authorize the secretary of Labor to set mandatory occupational safety and health standards applicable to businesses affecting interstate commerce -- to "assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions."

In other words, the Constitution's Commerce Clause gives Congress the right to oversee the health and safety of our nation's workers and it has done so -- some times better than others -- for 40 years.

The author's contention that "the best incentive to maintain high standards are the civil courts" is equally misplaced. In most states, workers are not permitted to bring civil suits against their employers for workplace injuries -- they are forced into the workers' compensation system, even when their employer has been reckless or knowingly placed workers at risk. The only hope most workers have of going home safe is workplace health and safety education, a union and a strong OSHA empowered to have a deterrent effect through inspections and appropriately retributive citations.

Nevada OSHA's embarrassing failure to keep workers safe shows the importance of federal OSHA's supervision and the real need for the oversight alternatives contained in the bill sponsored by Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev.

Danielle Lucido

Oakland, Calif.

The writer is staff attorney at Worksafe, a nonprofit group that engages in occupational safety and health advocacy.

Reid plan

To the editor:

It's going to be hard to criticize Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid's plan for education in Nevada (Review-Journal, March 23).

Heck, the Review-Journal couldn't even get the conservative Nevada Policy and Research Institute to say a bad thing in the story about Mr. Reid's agenda.

Mr. Reid's plan, I believe, is a good thing for our state. Giving teachers freedom, principals responsibility and parents choices should be the hallmarks of our education system. Too many rules and regulations have been put into the classrooms. It's time for the power to go back to where it belongs: the hardworking educators we trust with our children.

Mr. Reid's plans seem to offer that as a solution. I'm on board.

Nothing will ever change in Nevada if we do not start from the group up. And the foundation of any great society is education.

Ann Owen

Fernley