Don’t elect candidates from the public sector

To the editor:

Elected officials coming from public-sector employment should be voted out of office (Sunday Review-Journal commentary, "Power play"). Electing an official with a history of public-sector employment is like selecting an ex-mafia boss as FBI director. He is not motivated from a culture of keeping costs down and improving work place efficiencies but rather one of creating and maintaining his organizational empire and budget.

Employees in the public sector are not motivated to reduce costs for improved efficiency. Rather they are motivated to spend their entire budget to ensure that it will not be cut in the next fiscal year. They are divorced from private-sector reality that dictates continual improvement in efficiencies to remain competitive in the marketplace.

Voters should elect candidates with a small business background who have a history of competition in the marketplace for customer business. Candidates with a public-sector background have no experience in satisfying a customer because they don't have to. They would rather lie to the taxpayer about the need for tax increases and threaten them with service reductions than ask their brotherhood unions for salary concessions.

We need politicians who have the taxpayer interest. One has only to look at the voting record of current public officials with public-sector employment history to know that this is the truth.

Brian Aiken

Las Vegas

Bush folly

To the editor:

Sherman Frederick's Sunday commentary trying to give credit for Osama bin Laden's demise to George W. Bush is hard to fathom.

Perhaps Mr. Frederick doesn't remember Mr. Bush's 2002 reply to newspaper reporters who asked him about then-current attempts to apprehend the perpetrator of 9/11. Mr. Bush declared, "I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."

After making that statement, Mr. Bush, who was on the golf course, told the reporters, "Now, watch this swing." Oh yeah, we really need to give this guy credit ... for being the worst thing to ever happen to our nation.

Diane Shaul

Henderson

Last in, first out

To the editor:

In response to Justin Brecht's Sunday commentary, "Teacher of the year rewarded with pink slip":

Mr. Brecht's column lacked both sound reasoning and historical context. How would you propose a fairer system?

Our current job protection came through years of work and battles with the Legislature and the school district.

Your anger is now publicly documented. People in the community might incorrectly now judge the system of lay-offs and oppose tenure and other hard-won rights.

Please, if you can come up with a better, fairer plan, do work with the superintendent.

L. Woods

Henderson