Individual liberty? Forget about it
To the editor:
State Sen. Dennis Nolan's May 6 response to the Review-Journal's April 25 editorial opposing a primary seat-belt law was as predictable as the sunrise.
Sen. Nolan, who from my observation is a nice guy, is one of far too many elected officials who just don't seem to get it. If he sat with a blank piece of paper in front of him and wrote down the most important responsibilities he has as legislator, protecting and expanding your individual human liberty would not even appear on his list.
Safety, security, love, caring, compassion, deep and genuine concern for your well-being? Unquestionably yes.
Your individual liberty? No way.
Primary seat-belt laws are a classic example of the cancer of gradualism. You have gone from 100 percent liberty when it came to seat belt use to -- thanks to Sen. Nolan -- being on the cusp of 100 percent compulsion.
But, hey! He and his colleagues love you. They care about you. All of this is for your own good, not to mention the improvement of the general welfare.
And the money. Don't ever forget the money. So, buckle up or be a criminal. Who says you're being denied a "choice"?
KNIGHT ALLEN
LAS VEGAS
Illegal immigration
To the editor:
Iris Contreras of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada and others like her are the reason that a solution to the immigration problem will not be found (Review-Journal, Friday).
Ms. Contreras stated that respondents who had time to answer your recent survey questions concerning immigration either do not work or are retired. But that marginalized a large portion of the Las Vegas population. She basically said that they do not count.
Statements such as those are typical of liberal thought: "Don't tell me the facts. Tell me what I want to hear." Nothing will ever be accomplished except more polarization of this nation. Is that what they want? To keep the pot stirred so that they can collect a paycheck for rabble rousing? I believe they do more harm than good toward the immigrant community.
It takes at least two sides to come to an agreement. You cannot just ignore what the other side has to say just because you do not want to hear it. So open your eyes, open your ears and do something constructive or find a job.
DARRELL WELCH
NORTH LAS VEGAS
No credit
To the editor:
In his Tuesday letter, David Phillips argues that the state Senate should not enact Assembly Bill 404 because it would raise the insurance rates for many Nevadans (AB404 would stop insurance companies from using information in a person's credit file to assess their risk level). Not only should the senators pass the law, they should amend it to repay insurance premiums to those who've been victims of this unfair practice for quite some time.
Mr. Phillips claims that studies show there is a direct correlation between credit score and risk. Yet after searching the Internet for more than an hour, I could not find one article that supports this. All the information I found merely states that this is the case, but not why.
Should a 40-year-old man with no tickets or accidents and good credit pay less than the identical man who has recently gone through a divorce, an identity theft problem or large medical bills? But that's not your problem if you're not that guy, right?
Younger drivers cause the most accidents and rack up the most moving violations. They also happen to have the worst credit histories. The level of risk an insurance company assumes with these drivers is a function of their maturity and not whether or not they've been fortunate enough to be put on Daddy's platinum card.
Credit histories should be used only as they were intended: to establish worthiness as it relates to the ability to repay a loan. If using credit histories doesn't stop there, then where?
Martin Elge
LAS VEGAS
Rapid growth
To the editor:
Recently, I have read numerous articles focused on water acquisition for Las Vegas from rural parts of the state. The areas that need water include Coyote Springs, which will be developed into a community of more than 150,000 homes. This area is fairly close to Las Vegas, and is also adjacent to the Desert National Wildlife Refuge.
The refuge is a spectacular place and a real treasure for Southern Nevada. It is the largest wildlife refuge in the lower 48 states and home to the largest population of desert bighorns in the world.
I recently became aware of some increased pressures to this area, including the development of Coyote Springs. On top of the development is the lack of funding for management that results in cutting staff, programs and maintenance. Most disturbing is a proposed energy corridor that would fragment the habitat of the bighorns and other critters.
While developments such as Coyote Springs will continue in Southern Nevada, the people here still need to preserve the integrity of these places in order to ensure the quality of life we all hope to have as well as pass on for future generations to enjoy.
Debora Tsakalos
LAS VEGAS
