Handling of endowment strike against UNLV
To the editor:
How the Barrick Lecture Series has fallen. In past years, this UNLV program has hosted Mikhail Gorbachev, Ben Bradlee, Ken Burns, F.W. de Klerk and Bob Dole. These people shared insights about important events and our world that the audience could hear from no one else.
After more than two years of neglect by UNLV (even though they had the endowment in the bank), who are the first speakers? A noteworthy (but hardly unique) group of pundits expounding on a topic that has been covered ad nauseam: "The First 100 Days: Predictions for the Obama Administration."
Officials at UNLV wonder why people often do not believe their "if you build it, they will come" attitude about a variety of initiatives and projects. They should look at how this series and the endowment for it were handled over the past few years. I believe taxpayers and donors should see this as a cautionary tale.
Marjorie Barrick must be turning in her grave.
Scott Miller
LAS VEGAS
Cycle of debt
To the editor:
We could not afford to do all the things the Democrats wanted to do with their stimulus plan before the economy crashed.
Now with the government's revenue going down, we will spend all this money that we never had before it all went south.
It stands to reason that I should be able to quit my job and take a lower paying one -- and spend even more money.
Don Dieckmann
HENDERSON
Other people's money
To the editor:
While every other responsible leader is downsizing or halting construction projects due to the current financial crisis, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman just charges ahead on his new City Hall project like a horse with blinders ("Union turns in petitions," Friday Review-Journal).
I believe that if the mayor and his backers had to invest their own money in this project, it would be quickly abandoned, but because it's other people's money, they have no incentive to act financially responsible.
Does anyone remember the Regional Justice Center fiasco?
Richard Welti
HENDERSON
