LETTERS: NV Energy should be reducing rates

To the editor:

Before we break out the champagne and celebrate this “lowest rate increase requested in years” by NV Energy, let’s look at a few facts (“Frustrations vented over power rate increase,” Wednesday Review-Journal). You can swear on the Good Book that the average increase will be $2.82 monthly, but — and it’s a big but — how about the $5.25 monthly increase in the customer charge that will make a new average monthly increase of more than $8?

NV Energy installed smart meters, assisted by a government grant, that were supposed to reduce some of the company’s costs. With about 1.2 million customers paying the increased monthly customer charge, NV Energy will generate about $6 million in new income each month; add $3 million more with the requested rate increase, and NV Energy should be drowning in new money.

Tell the Nevada Public Utilities Commission to look closer at this latest request and find out why our rates shouldn’t be lowered instead of raised.

LLOYD SHEAFFER

LAS VEGAS

President’s policies

To the editor:

Regarding Rick Reynolds’ letter (“Media and the GOP,” July 22 Review-Journal), he tries to make a case that Fox News and its spinoffs report inaccurate information and that left-leaning outlets are the only ones accurately reporting the news. Maybe from his point of view, this is true.

But it’s ridiculous to state that conservatives hate President Barack Obama and because of that, they disagree with his policies. Conservatives just hate his policies; we feel that they go against everything that makes this country great. America was founded on the ideals of freedom of religion, not from religion; capitalism, not socialism; and strong state governance, not strong federal interference.

Mr. Reynolds used the example of the Affordable Care Act as if that legislation was a good thing. It isn’t affordable, it doesn’t make health care available for the people they said it would, and it isn’t popular. Sixty percent of Americans said they didn’t want it before it was passed, and that number has not gone down since it was passed.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Harry Reid and the president all lied about the provisions of the legislation, and they continue to do so. They used procedural trickery literally in the middle of the night to get this thing passed. Not one Republican voted for it, so don’t even try to say that this was enacted by the majority of American people.

I hope and pray that a conservative is elected as president so that America can get back on the right track, before it’s too late.

JIM OLSEN

NORTH LAS VEGAS

Undocumented children

To the editor:

I’m sick and tired of politicians from both parties running around spouting garbage and doing nothing to stem the tide of thousands of illegal immigrants (mostly children) coming across our border, many of whom are carrying serious diseases. Our government is required under our Constitution to protect all of us, and especially our children, from harm, but instead is dispersing these illegals all over the country.

Our fundraising president wants almost $4 billion from America’s taxpaying parents to facilitate his response. May I respectfully suggest to Congress, which holds the purse strings, and to Sen. Harry Reid — who appears more interested these days in a football team’s name than Nevada’s children — that they cut off Mexico, Central and South America. Immediately notify the countries from which all these immigrants are pouring in that, effective immediately, all of the billions of dollars of U.S. aid is stopped.

Instead, that money will be used to transport these children back to their respective countries, where they can get on a waiting list and come here as other foreigners do: legally. If the U.S. took this step, there is no doubt in my mind that Mexico and others would stop the invasion from their side.

The question is: Do our elected officials have the sense of responsibility to stand up for America’s children? Or do we next take in the children from all the countries experiencing war or conflict?

CHET BRODERICK

LAS VEGAS