LETTERS: Review-Journal complicit in great giveaway to Tesla Motors

To the editor:

The state of Nevada is giving away money we do not have. I am pleased that the Review-Journal editorial board endorsed the great giveaway by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and the Legislature to the second coming of Jesus: Elon Musk (“The Tesla gamble,” Sept. 8 Review-Journal). It is very heartening to see the free market and fossil-fuel-at-any-cost bastions such as the Review-Journal doing a thorough (actually, practically nonexistent) job of explaining the deal to the public before endorsing the $1.3 billion deal.

I am sure other giveaways with respect to infrastructure, including police and fire departments, schools and more, will come our way soon.

We are told by Mr. Musk that the reason for choosing Nevada was not the tax giveaways, but the business climate. However, he is reluctantly accepting incentives for the good of everyone. Since Mr. Musk did not ask for much, may I suggest we commission two statues of Mr. Musk and place one in front of the Review-Journal offices and the other at the Legislative Building in Carson City, so that his faithful admirers can kiss his feet every day. Gov. Sandoval need not kiss the statue, because has already done his kissing up to Mr. Musk.

GOPAL RAO

LAS VEGAS

Immigration and values

To the editor:

In response to Ron Jarrett’s letter (“Land of Liberty?” Sept. 12 Review-Journal), between 1820 and 1920, about 34 million people immigrated to the United States (legally, I might add). The last line in your favorite poem found on the Statue of Liberty says, “I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Well, here we are in 2014, and we have a national debt of almost $18 trillion and almost $123 trillion in unfunded mandates for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. So when Lady Liberty lifts her lamp now, it’s next to a warped, old, plywood door that is about ready to fall off the hinges. Yes, Mr. Jarrett has “listened to millions of so-called Americans,” because we are Americans — legal ones. We are upset because you and many other Americans in favor of another round of amnesty for tens of millions of undocumented immigrants don’t have a clue what “extremely strong family values” mean.

What those values do include are respect, responsibility, honesty and generosity, to name a few. Those who constantly break our immigration laws don’t have any respect. They show no responsibility when they continue to have children they cannot afford and leave it to others to provide for them — sending them off to school hungry, to be fed breakfast, lunch and now in some schools dinner before they go home for the day.

Honesty means not lying or filling out false documents to receive welfare or food stamps, filling out false documents. Generosity, well, let’s not even go there. Plenty of undocumented immigrants with children — either undocumented children or anchor babies — are on welfare. Is that Mr. Jarrett’s idea of extremely strong family values?

Here in Clark County, we know about University Medical Center’s fiscal woes and the Clark County School District’s overcrowding and budget shortfalls. In 2013, as a nation, federal, state and local governments spent more than $423 billion on services for undocumented immigrants and their children. That’s approaching half a trillion dollars, money paid mostly by taxpaying Americans.

KEVIN ALEXANDER

LOGANDALE

Police pensions

To the editor:

Regarding Glenn Cook’s Sunday column on pay and benefits in the Metropolitan Police Department (“Police union: ‘We use’ politicians”), he might find it interesting that health insurance premiums for police retirees have increased to insane levels under the department’s Health and Welfare Trust.

The current monthly premium for a retiree and wife is $1,685, and we have already been informed of a pending rate hike. This is paid fully by the retiree.

In addition, deductibles, co-pays and out-of-pocket expenses have been increased significantly. So much for extravagant benefits.

Many retirees are bailing out of the system and trying to find affordable alternatives. None of us can afford this. And it is my understanding that civilian employees have been completely kicked out of the trust program and left to fend for themselves. This is what serving officers have to look forward to, although I’ll bet those in power have made appropriate arrangements for themselves. Sort of like Congress.

DALE WYSOCKI

LAS VEGAS

Adrian Peterson

To the editor:

I am an 82-year-old who remembers vividly the phrase, “Junior, go get me a switch!” This was the time-honored first step to corporal punishment for misbehavior. The selection of the size of the switch was based upon the severity of the misbehavior and the time of year (short pants or blue jeans). I recall my younger brother’s letter to our grandparents in Huntsville, Texas, “The peach tree in El Paso has no more peaches; only yellow leaves, brown leaves and switches.”

I’m dumbfounded by the charges against Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson for administering a “switching” to his young child. The lack of corporal punishment by parents is the main reason that the character of our young people is in the toilet.

CHARLES L. HENRY

HENDERSON