LETTERS: Signage shows shutdown was planned
To the editor:
I find it difficult to understand how all of the parks and monuments that were closed during the government shutdown had professionally made signs posted within hours after the shutdown began. The normal government procurement system would take weeks, if not months, to award the contracts to purchase the custom-designed signs seen at all the closed sites.
It has been 17 years since the last shutdown, so there wouldn’t be signs just laying around for use on a moment’s notice. It appears that someone planned on shutting down the government many months ago. It would be interesting to have someone look into who ordered the signs and see where that trail leads. Just wondering.
HERB CRAIG
LAS VEGAS
2016 knockout for Reid?
To the editor:
I just heard that Sen. Harry Reid is planning to run for another term, and I couldn’t be happier. This man has been an embarrassment — not only to himself and Nevada, but to the entire nation. It seems that every time he opens his mouth, out comes another gem that will be used against him in his next race. I would rather see the man suffer a knockout in 2016 than to step down and pat himself on the back for what he felt was a glorious career.
Some Nevadans thought having a senator from our state serving as majority leader would benefit the state. What did we get? We got Josh Reid appointed as Henderson’s city attorney, and now another son, Key Reid, is working on a deal that would give his soccer group premium dates at Southern Nevada facilities. We are lucky we didn’t get Rory Reid in the governor’s mansion.
Sen. Reid’s influence has done a lot for his family and himself, but little for Nevada. Man up, Sen. Reid. The 2016 campaign is going to be fun.
BILL DIRKSE
LAS VEGAS
Shutdown outrage
To the editor:
Like many Las Vegas residents, I am angry and upset about the shutdown. Here are some interesting facts: I called the White House and was told calls were not being accepted because of the shutdown. Sen. Harry Reid’s office was doing likewise. Is this not impairing our First Amendment rights? Republicans, on the other hand, had not denied calls because of the shutdown.
Haven’t Nevadans suffered enough with the housing market crash? I deeply love my country. Please return it me.
SONDRA WALD
HENDERSON
Mommy’s boyfriend
To the editor:
All of the possibilities of a child’s life can be cut short in the hands of the wrong adult. Just because you love someone does not mean that person can take care of a child. Very few people believe someone they trust could hurt their child, but it happens.
Knowing the person who cares for your child is one of the most important decisions a parent can make, because your child’s life could depend on it.
Abuse and neglect affect children of all ages in every socioeconomic status. Take, for example, the recent beating death of NFL star Adrian Peterson’s 2-year-old child. The suspect who was charged with the death is the boyfriend of the child’s mother. Mr. Peterson’s celebrity helped elevate the issue of child abuse. It also highlighted that this can happen to anyone.
No child’s actions, whether it be crying and throwing tantrum or simply refusing to clean a bedroom, justify violence. Children must be able to thrive in a safe environment with adequate resources, which includes providing access to capable caregivers.
In more than half of Clark County abuse and neglect homicides from 2011 to 2012, the suspect charged in the crime was the mother’s boyfriend, according to the Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Last year, NICRP initiated the Choose Your Partner Carefully campaign to educate parents about qualities in a caregiver that can put a child at risk for abuse or neglect. For more information, visit nic.unlv.edu/pcanv.html.
To report suspected child abuse or neglect in Clark County, please call (702) 399-0081. To report anywhere in Nevada, please call (800) 992-5757. Your information could save a young life.
Lisa S. Ruiz-Lee
Las Vegas
The writer is director of the Clark County Department of Family Services.
Veterans Day parade
To the editor:
I’m not sure what “leading” veterans organization Donald Sacco referred to in his Oct. 8 letter to the editor, but every major veterans organization in Southern Nevada participates in the annual Veterans Day Parade.
This is my 15th year as master of ceremonies of the Veterans Day Parade. Veterans units definitely have not been relegated to any position other than at the front third of the parade. Next come congressionally recognized organizations, schools with ROTC units and, finally, everyone else.
Civilian clubs, politicians and horses are not put before our veterans. In fact, wounded warriors lead the parade right after the color guard and are given a special seat right in front of the review stand. Last-minute entries are at the back of the parade because the program has already been printed. No one ever contacted the parade committee with parade order concerns.
Every year, we honor one particular group. This year, we are honoring the U.S. Air Force, and we’re extending a special invitation to Air Force members and families to join us in our salute.
I would like to invite Mr. Sacco to join me on the review stand starting at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 11, so he can see first-hand the honor we bestow on the men and women in uniform today, those who have served in the past, the families of those who never made it home, ROTC students from the various valley high schools and entries from Arizona and California cities.
Please join Mr. Sacco and me as we kick off the second largest Veterans Day parade in the nation. Las Vegas, feel proud.
Alan Stock
Las Vegas
