LETTERS: Sandoval fails prevailing wage math
To the editor:
Bob Ashman was right on target in his letter, calling Gov. Brian Sandoval to task for his absurd $1 billion tax increase, despite the contrary wants of the voting public (“Sandoval’s big budget fails smell test,” July 3 Review-Journal). But Mr. Ashman forgot to mention another negative of Gov. Sandoval’s education coup: he signed a bill that allowed prevailing wage to stand.
That means while Gov. Sandoval accepted a bill for $1 billion to help fund schools, he also signed a bill that forced taxpayers to pay millions more for the building of each new school. I hope future students do better in math than the governor did.
RON MOERS
HENDERSON
Decreasing gun violence
To the editor:
After reading the editorial on gun control (“Gun ownership comes under fire,” June 9 Review-Journal), I felt the need to voice my support for the editor’s opinion. The bottom line, as much as we all might not like to admit it, is that America is soft. We’ve lost our ambition. If that weren’t the case, then mouthpieces such as Donald Trump would have absolutely no platform to speak from, let alone run on as a legitimate presidential candidate.
I will be the first to empathize with gun violence victims. However, I believe there needs to be a clear line drawn between cause and effect. To properly address the issue of gun violence, we needn’t infringe on the rights of any citizen. Instead, we need to restructure our society to facilitate our evolving needs.
First, we should mandate annual psychological evaluations in grades nine through 12. In our current economic climate, it’s no wonder we are seeing increased violence and tragedy. Income inequality is vast and continuously growing. Technology pushes the pace of our lives faster and faster. Yet our mental health continues to be ignored. We check our children’s eyes, yet we ignore what goes on in their heads. By instituting checks during the formative years of our youth, we can encourage good mental health and proactively address maladaptive behaviors.
Second, we need to institute national six-month noncombat conscription. The existing systems that have taught our troops discipline, respect and excellence are more than capable of teaching our citizens these same principles. By instituting a national conscription, we can increase personal accountability and weapon competency, and reduce negligence.
By making these basic investments in our society, we can finally turn the page on the gun debate and progress toward the safer and healthier America we all seek and deserve.
LUKE JACKSON
HENDERSON
Misinterpreting mascots
To the editor:
I guess I am just too dumb to have not recognized the UNLV mascot as a threat (“Reid calls on regents to revisit ‘Rebels’ as UNLV’s nickname,” June 24 Review-Journal). Whenever I saw Hey Reb, I thought of him as a mountain man.
Hey Reb is one of those social rebels who took on survival in the western wilderness single-handedly. It never occurred to me that he might be a Confederate symbol. Is Sen. Harry Reid not smart enough to have thought of the mascot as I do?
CHARLES E. MCMANIS
LAS VEGAS
Health care costs
To the editor:
Last week, I went to my pharmacy to pick up a prescription. The cost was $280. Three weeks earlier, another prescription cost $750.
I want to thank the 535 clowns in Washington, D.C., along with big pharma, for making health care so affordable. The wealthy don’t care and the poor don’t pay — just us in the middle. We pay for it all. It’s time we had term limits for Congress.
DOUG MANOOKIAN
LAS VEGAS
