LETTERS: Flooding proves it’s nice to be rich
To the editor:
A handful of rich people build their houses in a place that regularly suffers from forest fires. Because of a recent fire, the vegetation is no longer there to catch the rainfall, and their lovely, expensive homes were flooded (“Flood-battered Mount Charleston neighborhoods recovering,” July 29 Review-Journal.
Then another article noted that, earlier in the year, the federal government offered to build these people a dam, free of charge (“Berm could have shielded Rainbow from flooding,” July 30 Review-Journal). In these times of underperforming schools, crumbling infrastructure and drastic cutbacks in programs for the elderly and working poor, our federal government manages to find the money to build those few rich people a dam. It’s nice that something works for somebody. But the dam would not exactly be free; Clark County would have to maintain and be liable for the dam. Apparently, a free dam isn’t good enough, so the county says no.
Despite the heartfelt prayers and pledges of no new taxes from county politicians, it still rains, and the rich people get flooded.
Then, telegenic Gov. Brian Sandoval — whose only known super-power is to say no to tax increases and tell everyone to make do with less — does not say no to these rich people. Instead, he’s offered to have the state help pay for what the county wouldn’t (“Berm project set for Mount Charleston,” Aug. 26 Review-Journal). He poses for a photo op and says, “I just can’t stand by and allow another even to happen.”
I wonder if Gov. Sandoval says that when he looks at our rock-bottom ranking for Nevada’s school system.
After the flood, the conservative Review-Journal editorial board — mantra: “no new taxes and no government spending for any social programs, ever, for any reason” — also stepped in (“Federal land decisions defy common sense,” Aug. 5 Review-Journal). Surely the editorial would tell those rich people that they should have built the dam themselves.
But no, the editorial chimes in that the big, bad federal government should have given the poor rich people a free dam and should have been responsible for the upkeep. Bad big government, bad!
It must be nice to be rich.
DAVID KLAMANN
LAS VEGAS
Hillary’s UNLV speech
To the editor:
In her letter on Hillary Clinton’s upcoming speech to benefit the UNLV Foundation, Kathleen Stone wrote, “Do the math.” So I did.
It seems that when a letter writer criticizes Mrs. Clinton, the Review-Journal has no problem looking the other way. With a directive that letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words, the Review-Journal felt free to allow almost twice that to a writer who reinforces the editorial page’s opinion. Who says you’re not flexible?
I am also disappointed in reporter Laura Myers. I think she is a good journalist, but why she persists in reinforcing false information or giving incomplete information about Mrs. Clinton makes me think she may not have the freedom that journalists need.
It has been clarified more than once that the speaker fees paid by the foundation have absolutely nothing to do with tuition. Yet Ms. Myers continues to mix apples and oranges.
Why not use the power of the pen to clarify that? It saddens me.
PATRICIA VAN BETTEN
BLUE DIAMOND
Horsford and Ferguson
To the editor:
The events that took place in Ferguson, Mo., were truly disheartening. For those who have been victims of crimes or who have suffered abuse at the hands of the police department, it was just tragic.
But the plain fact is that the only ones who really know what happened were officer Darren Wilson, Michael Brown and his friend. Everything else is speculation and hearsay.
Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., either believes the speculation and rumors, calling into question his reasoning, or he is ignoring the facts and he attended Mr. Brown’s funeral to make a statement about race (“Horsford attends ‘powerful service’ for slain Missouri teen,” Aug. 26 Review-Journal).
I truly hope that someone representing our state did not attend a service just because of the racial component.
CARLOS GUILLERMO
INDIAN SPRINGS
Harasim and health care
To the editor:
Paul Harasim presents himself as an honest man trying to help the public understand medicine. However, he is anything but honest because of his bias against physicians. He has repeatedly had inaccuracies in his Review-Journal columns.
He once stated that the U.S. “ranks dead last in the quality of health care among industrialized countries” (“Everyone should get health care”). I pointed out to him that the article he referenced cited many contributing factors, but that the United States actually ranked in the middle with regard to health care quality itself. When I spoke with him, he became belligerent and would not discuss the issue further.
The Commonwealth Fund reported earlier this summer that, on health care quality, “The U.S. ranks in the middle. On two of four measures of quality — effective care and patient-centered care — the U.S. ranks near the top.”
Mr. Harasim, who recently left the Review-Journal, has let down the public with dishonest commentary, followed by a refusal to correct it. The medical field is used to his half-truths and this outright lie.
The United States has the highest survival rate for most cancers and cardiovascular diseases. How do you explain that, Mr. Harasim?
MICHAEL BRAUNSTEIN
LAS VEGAS
