LETTERS: Heck, GOP should support Obamacare

To the editor:

I can’t believe Rep. Joe Heck and his fellow self-serving Republicans are still griping about the Affordable Care Act. They have had years to come up with their own plan for hard-working citizens to have access to decent medical care, yet none of them have done anything but bash President Barack Obama’s plan.

One day, all the kinks in the program will get worked out, and the majority of Americans will be content and grateful they have health insurance. When that happens, you can be sure Republican lawmakers will find some way to take credit for it.

For now, Rep. Heck and his fellow naysayers should be encouraging their constituents to support the program; it is the best thing we have to offer to those who need medical insurance. If Rep. Heck has something better, he needs to put up or shut up.

PATRICIA DUCHARME

HENDERSON

Skiing memories

To the editor:

In response to John L. Smith’s Sunday column on Marcel Barel (“Before he goes, one last run downhill”):

In the late 1960s, at age 14, I learned to ski at Lee Canyon. Despite the fact that I never took an actual lesson from Mr. Barel, he had a lot to do with helping me learn the fundamentals of the sport that I have loved for a lifetime.

My friends and I would shadow him down the slopes trying to imitate his smooth, classic style. We would dally near him when he was giving a private lesson, hoping to overhear a few pointers. And, more often than not, even though our freeloading had become obvious, he would still voluntarily offer up some sage, free skiing advice.

I’ll never forget the numerous times when, riding up Chair 1 during a fierce snowfall, I spotted a lone figure in the storm. The skier was plying the accumulating powder on the margin of the ski run, near the trees. The technique was unmistakable. The legs were locked together and the upper body was almost motionless. It was Mr. Barel, floating effortlessly downhill through the fluff — simply beautiful.

Thanks for the memories, Mr. Barel.

GARY SYLVESTER

NORTH LAS VEGAS

Fracking in Nevada

To the editor:

Your editorial on fracking was right on target (“Nevada prepares for arrival of fracking,” March 30 Review-Journal). Unfortunately, as soon as the environmentalist/ green faction gets rolling, fracking will probably be shot down in the same fashion as the Yucca Mountain Project.

RICHARD N. DAVIS

HAWLEY, TEXAS

Front-page priorities

To the editor:

I was horrified to see the huge photo and story on the arson puppies (“Raffled puppies heading to new homes,” March 28 Review-Journal) above the fold, and a small story below the fold on tortured children (“Ex-foster family facing charges of abuse, police say”). The Review-Journal’s priorities seem to be a bit out of whack.

KATHY ESPIN

LAS VEGAS

Bundy and rule of law

To the editor:

Your editorial on Cliven Bundy and his trespass cattle (“All hat and cattle,” March 28 Review-Journal) was brilliant satire, but I fear it was too subtle for many to realize that it was indeed satire. To suggest that the rational response to 20 years of illegal grazing is for the government to say, “Oh, never mind, go ahead,” was the funniest thing I read all day.

Fortunately, I know that the Review-Journal stands foursquare for the rule of law and the apprehension and punishment of lawbreakers, and stands even more so against the use of violence by lawbreakers in furtherance of their nefarious deeds. You do stand for all that, don’t you?

VIRGINIA BARRON

MESQUITE