Election’s over: ‘Raise the damn property tax’

To the editor:

It was perplexing but not surprising to see that Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins and Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Ross are looking to raise taxes ("Officials: Tax boosts needed," Saturday). Aren't these politicians two of the most staunch union supporters we have?

In a community where firemen can retire with six-figure pensions and where government clerical workers can do the same thing because politicians have voted to give them extravagant salaries and benefits to get elected, while the rest of the community is struggling to make one-third of this just to survive, you would think the spotlight should be on what takes up the majority of local government budgets: personnel costs.

Oh well. I guess if that happened, these men wouldn't get elected because they wouldn't have union support, and the taxpayers' burden wouldn't be where it is, and there would be plenty of resources to pay for infrastructure and services.

RICHARD DePASO

HENDERSON

To the editor:

Saturday's Review-Journal offered an interesting contrast. On Page 1B, Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins is quoted as saying, "Raise the damn property tax. ... You can't go on trying to run your city on half the property tax (compared to before the recession)."

Yet on Page 3B, we find a story in which transparentnevada.com reports salaries of $269,000 for the executive director of the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County, $1.3 million in pay and benefits for a medical school employee, and pay and benefits of $962,000 to an ex-Henderson city manager.

Does anyone really wonder why homeowners do not think tax dollars are being spent wisely and why they vote against increasing taxes on themselves when obviously not everyone is sharing in the pain of the recession, job losses and service cutbacks?

LINDA LOVELLE

BOULDER CITY

To the editor:

Now that our local politicians have been safely re-elected, they are getting back to what they do best: thinking of ways to raise our taxes. I don't remember County Commissioner Tom Collins running for his final term on the platform of raising property taxes, but less than a month after his re-election he is now screaming "Raise the damn property tax."

He is not the only one who wants to increase the taxes here in Clark County. Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Ross wants the state to give local governments the authority to raise taxes on their own. Mayor Goodman wants to tax every person in the state $5, calling it an "annual recovery tax."

With our unemployment here in Nevada still in double digits, all these politicians can think about is taking more of our money. Mr./Ms. Politician, please drive around your community and look at all the vacant retail spaces. Look at how many people are still out of work and how property owners are struggling to pay their mortgages. Raising taxes on the citizen takes away money we could be spending on our families and at the local retail businesses. I am going to have to side with Assemblymen Pete Livermore and Tom Grady, who do not support taxing us more without first looking at ways to cut spending.

Try this first: Bring in a group of independent auditors and investigators, as is done at the federal level in all inspector generals' offices, and let them review all the departments and programs. Having been in this field more than 20 years, I guarantee they will uncover enough waste to trim the budget to the point there will be no need to raise any taxes and we could quite possibly even lower taxes. Fellow citizens, demand this from our politicians.

MICHAEL O. KREPS

LAS VEGAS

The writer is the retired special agent in charge of the office of the NASA Inspector General.

To the editor:

I am guessing that when Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins said, "Raise the damn property tax," he was in another Fourth of July drunken stupor. How else could he suggest what would be another dagger in the hearts of homeowners? We are already underwater on our largest investment, and recovery is a long way down the road. Higher property taxes is a stupid idea.

LLOYD SHEAFFER

LAS VEGAS

Bring down the 'rich'

To the editor:

After reading Daniel Olivier's Sunday letter, "Loss for greedy, win for rest of us," I no longer wonder how the president got re-elected. It is obvious from this letter that emotion and hatred for the "rich" have trumped realism in the Olivier household - which is a pandemic across the land that played out Nov. 6. For myself, I only await the follow-up letter from Mr. Olivier in 2014 when he laments the imposition of ObamaCare.

The massive reimbursement cuts - to offset the funds siphoned off to expand Medicaid - will cause tens of thousands of doctors to stop taking Medicare/Medicaid patients. That means millions of seniors and the poor will have to "double up" with doctors they don't know and get a fraction of the time.

The Independent Payment Advisory Board will determine "cost levels" for thousands of procedures, meaning even less access for the aged based on what this "board" determines is the correct fee for many procedures - based on age and circumstance.

I, for one, have already written Sen. Mitch McConnell and Reps. John Boehner, Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor, demanding that there be no massive "Doc Fix" and that people like Mr. Olivier bear the brunt of the lies and deception he has bought into.

So, Mr. Olivier, remember your letter as you sit in your new doctor's cattle pen and wait to be culled out for your 10-minute appointment after a three-hour wait.

Remember your letter when you are told the critical appointment with a specialist will take place in five months.

Finally, remember that you voted for this

JOSEPH SCHILLMOELLER

LAS VEGAS

Left-wing nut

To the editor:

That was easy. My husband and I have been long-time subscribers to the Review-Journal but have become disenchanted with the direction it has gone over the past three years or so.

A few months ago, I stated that if I see one more letter to the editor from that clown Daniel F. Olivier, I am canceling the paper.

Now mind you, the Review-Journal has been printing his left-wing nut opinions for years, and I mean 20 years or more. For years we thought this bitter old man was made up by the Review-Journal; no one could be that bitter and clueless living in this great country.

Well, his letter from Sunday, - "Loss for greedy, win for the rest of us" - sealed the deal. We canceled the paper today, effective immediately.

MARY VISCUGLIA

LAS VEGAS