LETTERS: Police need to step up patrols to help keep bicyclists safe
To the editor:
I was not surprised when I read that a man was hit and killed on Eastern Avenue while riding his bicycle (“Police identify suspect sought in crash that killed bicyclist,” Nov. 27 Review-Journal). I ride my bike on this road, five times a week. The speed limit on this part of Eastern Avenue, near Anthem, is 35 mph, but nobody goes 35 — they all go 45 to 50 mph.
I have been brushed by a car on three occasions. Police patrol the area once every four months for about an hour each time. If I were the Henderson police I would be there every day, making a fortune. They could make enough money in a month to hire a whole new police force.
Why do I have to worry about getting hit by a car when riding my bike? There is a law that almost all car drivers don’t know or don’t care about: You must have at least 3 feet between your car and the bike. The road in this area is not wide, and the law says the bicycle rider has the right to ride in the middle of the lane if there is not enough space for a car and a bike in that lane. I’m afraid if I did that, I would be run over for sure.
There needs to be a bigger police presence in the Anthem area. The drivers exceed the speed limit all the time, most by 10 mph. It won’t be long before a pedestrian gets hit. Please car drivers, be aware that the bicyclist has the same right to the road as you do. The killing of 43-year-old Mario Regalado never should have happened.
CHARLES ERREGER
HENDERSON
Taxicab Authority muscle
To the editor:
What is wrong with an Uber driver taking a senior citizen to a doctor’s office, or to the market? To call a cab, one would have to wait hours for the driver, who might not show up at all. Why? Because cab drivers make their money on the tourists, not the taxpaying citizens of the state.
It seems to me the Nevada Taxicab Authority and the Nevada Transportation Authority have a strong grip on the transportation industry, and now they have Washoe County District Court Judge Scott Freeman in their pocket. How can Uber possibly win that outcome? I thought Clark County had rid the city of the mafia. Apparently not.
MARK RICHARDS
HENDERSON
Sad to see Uber go
To the editor:
I am so sorry to hear Uber lost its battle to operate in Nevada. I was looking forward to using the ride-sharing service. The taxicab companies in this town have a bad reputation all over the country for cheating customers. They even tried to cheat me once. I did not let the driver know that I was a local, and he took me all over town before finally bringing me home. I know of other locals with similar stories.
I agree with people whenever they note their dislike for taxicabs. I will never take another cab in this town. I was looking forward to an honest charge for a ride with Uber. I hope Uber doesn’t give up.
AMBER BUZAN
HENDERSON
Lower the tax rates
To the editor:
A recent editorial implied that all Nevadans and all Americans benefit from being able to write off the sales tax deduction on their federal income tax returns (“Give Us a Break,” Nov. 29 Review-Journal). The reality is that only taxpayers who itemize their deductions receive any benefit from the sales tax deduction.
Furthermore, both the IRS and the Tax Policy Center estimate that 70 percent of taxpayers take the standard deduction versus itemizing deductions, and therefore receive no tax benefit whatsoever from the sales tax deduction. In reality, the sales tax deduction benefits high-income taxpayers who itemize deductions. As was pointed out in the editorial, if you want to benefit all Nevadans and Americans, lower the tax rates.
JOHN UNRUH
HENDERSON
Ferguson misstep
To the editor:
Let me ask a question: Instead of announcing the decision by the grand jury in Ferguson, Mo, at 8 p.m. Central time on a Monday, which surely begged for an animalistic response, what if the prosecutor instead announced the findings at 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning? Clearly, St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch is not a very bright bulb.
TOM JOHNSON
LAS VEGAS
Super-rich aren’t taxed
To the editor:
The Review-Journal editorial was correct in stating that a relatively few rich individuals pay most of the income taxes (“Taxed to the max,” Nov. 24 Review-Journal). Examples of such are high-paid athletes, entertainers and successful professionals. However, not so for the exorbitantly rich. Think Warren Buffet, the multibillionaire, who keeps telling us that he does not pay hefty taxes. He has said that his secretary pays more taxes, by percentage, than he does.
Paying a relatively puny amount of taxes is typical for most billionaires. Their riches are allowed to flow through them to foundations and such, without the tax man ever getting a penny. Their relatives and cronies then feast off the foundations for decades or even centuries after the death of the billionaire. The federal estate tax was enacted in part to prevent the overaccumulation of wealth by taxing the deceased’s wealth. In practice, the billionaires avoid taxes upon their death, just as they avoided income taxes while alive.
Ironically, the very same athletes, entertainers and successful professionals who paid most of the income taxes are again hit with the estate tax when they die. To the extent that the estate tax is double taxation, it is unfair. From whatever estate tax is due, the income taxes paid by the deceased during his/her lifetime should be subtracted. On the other hand, the avoidance of both income and estate taxes by the super rich should no longer be permitted. At some point their hyper-wealth should be fairly taxed.
RICHARD MCGARRITY
LAS VEGAS
