LETTERS: Answer on taxes is not a good one

Once again, Steve Sebelius, the leading media spin doctor for regressive status, comes to the aid and comfort of those who pushed through the biggest tax increase in the history of Nevada (“An answer on taxes” March 27 Review-Journal).

What are Mr. Sebelius’ answers? Basically, they revolve around the concepts of the greater good and the general welfare. We need more (fill in the blank). We need better (fill in the blank). We must improve (fill in the blank). Everybody, or at least two-thirds of the Legislature, agrees, and so it’s important to get on with the work of serving the greater good and the general welfare “by any means necessary.”

Therein lies the death knell for a free, fair, just and compassionate society, though Mr. Sebelius and his fellow statists don’t care. They want the money, and they want it by any means necessary. They got what they wanted during the 2015 Legislature, and they’re going to want more in 2017 and 2019, 2021, 2023, ad infinitum. They have killed true, classical, liberalism and replaced it with statism. That is why Mr. Sebelius can dismiss with an arrogant, imperialist wave of his pen the core liberal principle of taxation, “Do not tax the necessities of life,” as being “abstract political philosophy.”

The commerce tax is an affront to human decency. It’s a cruel and vicious tax on all the necessities of life, with particularly brutal effects on the most vulnerable in society. And Mr. Sebelius loves it.

I deal with legislators more than most citizens, and I stand by my position that the vast majority of them are decent human beings who genuinely care about the people of Nevada. That is why it’s so heartbreaking to see them cross that fatal line from doing good to instead doing good “by any means necessary.”

“No Taxes! No Taxes! No Taxes!” is not the answer, but the destruction of regressive statism “by any means necessary” might be.

Knight Allen

Las Vegas

Presidential powers

The problem in this country is that we have a president who appoints the directors of the FBI and the Department of Justice. This is completely wrong and must be corrected. We are now seeing how it is possible for a corrupt president to stop indictment charges against anyone whom he wishes to protect, whether for his party or selfish interests.

When the attorney general is told not to indict someone such as Hillary Clinton, over her email scandal, then we have a serious problem with administering justice in this country. The so-called elite do not have to play ball with the people they wish to govern. Mrs. Clinton is not a queen, nor is President Barack Obama a King. But they both act like royalty.

We need to speak up and act to remove these people from Washington, D.C. Impeach, indict and imprison these officials to set an example for future leaders.

David Ballard

Las Vegas

Protecting Gold Butte

I read with interest Henry Brean’s article on Gold Butte (“Ceremony marks pioneer’s return to Gold Butte grave,” Tuesday Review-Journal). Mr. Brean wrote: “His grave was dug up sometime in April 2014, right around the time of the now-infamous standoff near Bunkerville between the Bureau of Land Management and rogue rancher Cliven Bundy.”

While it is nice to see the community come out for this reinterment, it is worth pointing out that the desecration occurred when law enforcement was highly focused on Bunkerville. Acts such as this desecration and other recent insults upon the land (wanton vehicle damage to signed sensitive plant habitat, chopping down Joshua trees, etc.) go to show that the area needs permanent protection, before all of the historic sites and more of the natural sites are damaged.

Permanent protection will bring financial resources benefiting the landscape (pit toilets, signs, road maintenance) and the surrounding communities (contract jobs in Gold Butte, travel industry jobs, etc.).

Jim Boone

Las Vegas