Lake Las Vegas doing just fine, thank you

To the editor:

In the Sunday Business section, the Review-Journal found it fit to run a retread article pontificating on Lake Las Vegas as an "oasis drying up in downturn." I'm a resident of Lake Las Vegas and I find it interesting that the Review-Journal has apparently decided to use our community as its favored example of "excess" gone wrong, with a tsk-tsk tone and a hint of "too bad, so sad."

Well, let me tell you, the economy has affected everyone. But we are a thriving community, and the residents of this beautiful resort enjoy living here. After reading your article, I grabbed my camera and my dog and decided to take pictures that really reflect Lake Las Vegas -- not the empty lots and solitary man in the village you depicted.

Lake Las Vegas is a jewel, and we welcome all people to come and enjoy what we do every day.

And yes, it's a good time to buy.

Valerie Treaster

HENDERSON

How green?

To the editor:

I am shocked that U.S. Reps. Shelley Berkley and Dina Titus, members of the greener party, voted for the "cash for clunkers" bill, which provides a federal voucher of up to $4,500 to a motorist who trades an old car for a new one that gets better mileage (Sunday Review-Journal).

That $4,500 will buy a lot of gas for more travel. (Whoops, an unintended consequence!)

Significant energy is required to build that new car. Ore must be mined, refined, shaped and painted, and other necessary materials, such as glass, must be produced. And, between processes, materials are shipped.

What happens to the traded clunker? If it is junked, energy will be used to strip it of reusable parts, crush the metal, ship it to a recycler, recycle, etc. Otherwise, the clunker will be back on the road driven by someone who cannot afford more.

"Is it more energy-efficient to buy a gas-guzzling used car than a brand-new hybrid?" asks Brendan I. Koerner in Green Beaters. His answer to the title question: "A fresh Prius beats virtually all used competitors -- assuming you follow the Lantern's golden rule and keep your car running until the bitter end." (Mr. Koerner's article did not address the energy related to a replaced vehicle.)

Perhaps it is more energy-efficient to keep your "clunker" running until the bitter end rather than trading it for a new car that gets better mileage.

Mary Blaylock

HENDERSON