Embattled judge plays to the suckers

To the editor:

On the last day of the San Gennaro Festival in western Las Vegas about a month ago, as I was walking in with my family, who should I see handing out suckers at the Republican tent but the one-and-only District Judge Elizabeth Halverson. She was handing suckers out to people and shouting at people who were making comments about her being there.

I have to admit, I'm no fan of the woman, however, coming from somebody claiming to be fighting for her job, I found it telling. If Judge Halverson truly wants to be a public servant, she would do far better than to think of her own ends and start thinking of the needs of the public first. That said, who is the sucker who decided she deserved to be paid while being suspended and investigated by the Judicial Discipline Commission?

Maybe it is the ultimate irony that she was handing out suckers that day. If she has treated Las Vegas citizens, her colleagues and staff as is alleged, she should be bumped from the bench, not running for re-election. That is what isn't fair here.

Rev. Shonna Rhein-Gariepy

LAS VEGAS

Stupid or malicious?

To the editor:

In 1929, the stock market suffered a severe contraction when many speculators failed to meet their margin calls. Confidence dropped, capital dried up and unemployment went up. President Hoover felt something should be done "to protect the American worker," so he conspired with Congress to raise taxes on imported goods (Smoot-Hawley Act).

Big mistake. Those companies using imported goods suffered and unemployment went up farther. Naturally, our trading partners retaliated by raising their taxes on American goods. More U.S. companies suffered and unemployment reached 25 percent.

In those days, the eggheads in academia thought that Soviet-style socialism was the wave of the future. So, when Franklin Roosevelt became president, he colluded with Congress to raise corporate taxes, impose stifling regulations, nationalize the electric power industry, set up farm commerce and encourage unions to strike. Hoover created the Great Depression, and Roosevelt prolonged it for more than a decade. But, we're told, "They meant well." Words for a tombstone.

Fast forward to today. The Democrats in Congress are blocking international trade "to protect the American worker," plan to raise everyone's taxes, regulate the health care industry and even talk of nationalizing American oil companies.

Stupid or malicious? Are these Democrats the progeny of the eggheads of academia who saw socialism as the wave of the future?

ROBERT W. RITCHEY

HENDERSON

Grill the EPA

To the editor:

Isn't it amazing that Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., can threaten to bring National Football League officials before Congress over "Spygate," yet refuse to have one of the most dangerous, anti-American organizations, the Environmental Protection Agency, appear and explain why U.S. oil companies cannot begin drilling for oil in America immediately. The oil companies should be upgrading their facilities and building more refineries as soon as possible.

The reason the economy is going down the drain and Americans are losing jobs and homes is because the United States is being held hostage by Third World dictators and rulers who control the world's oil output, and Congress does not have the backbone to overrule the EPA.

Congressmen do not need television face time or autograph sessions with professional sports figures. They need to tell the oil companies to begin drilling for oil at once.

RICHARD J. LITTLE

ST. GEORGE, UTAH

Disrespectful column

To the editor:

I believe that you should always respect the office, though you may differ with the conduct of the incumbent. After reading Sunday's column by the Review-Journal's Erin Neff ("The idiot boss continues to embarrass Nevada"), I was appalled at the words she used to demean Gov. Jim Gibbons. I trust that a good journalist could express herself with a better choice of words. No human being deserves to be described in this way.

June Oke

LAS VEGAS

Free ride

To the editor:

In response to your Friday article, "Taxi rate jump fare game":

Math was my worst junior high subject, but it looks like if a cab gets 20 miles to the gallon, a 25 cents-per-metered-mile fuel surcharge would result in a $5 fee for passengers traveling 20 miles. That's currently well above the retail cost for a gallon of gasoline.

Far from a surcharge, this means the rider pays the entire fuel bill. So here is a new definition of a free ride -- not for the rider, but for the carrier.

Bob Lieberman

LAS VEGAS