LETTERS: Market succumbs to dumb economic policies

We are now seeing the result of socialist political policies with regard to the stock market. Between the end of last week and Monday morning, we saw a loss of almost 10 percent of the market. Yes, it is due in great part to the events in China and the Pacific Rim, but it is also due to the incredibly stupid economic policies of the United States.

These policies include the incentive for people not to work. Giving people, on average, $35,000 per year in benefits to stay home has directly caused the labor participation rate to drop to its lowest level in almost 40 years. The incredibly dumb health care law has caused businesses to make almost all new hires part-time, driving down household wages. Our highest-in-the-world corporate tax and regulation regime has incentivized multinational companies to move manufacturing and full-time hires overseas.

Another result of these tax and regulation policies is the lowest small business start-up figures in our history.

Furthermore, the Federal Reserve System has become politicized, with lending rates at almost zero to artificially keep the markets higher. The Fed has no more cards to play to get the economy going. The real concern is the possibility of one bad bond auction (people unwilling to buy our debt) that will lead us to begin devaluing our currency (read: major inflation) or severely slash spending in the short term.

Current events are now exposing the result of pandering to the American people with offers of free stuff while hammering at the core of our existence: a vibrant business community. The chickens have come home to roost, and the results could make 2008 look like a picnic.

Joseph Schillmoeller

Las Vegas

Kerry and Vietnam

After reading Randall Buie's letter ("GOP inconsistency," Monday Review-Journal), I was taken back to 1971, the first time I ever heard or saw John Kerry. At the time, I was 24 years old and an honorably discharged, two-tour veteran of Vietnam.

While visiting my parents, my father was watching the testimony of Mr. Kerry. As I started to watch, my father asked, "What the hell were you guys doing in Vietnam?" I was in Vietnam with one of my brothers for the 1968 Tet Offensive. As I look back, we were just kids and did some kid stuff, but we never abused a single Vietnamese person. As a matter of fact, I stepped between some Vietnamese citizens and a higher ranking member of our unit when it looked like abuse might take place.

As for Mr. Kerry's testimony on abuses by U.S. military personnel, I told my father Mr. Kerry was brought up wrong, was a coward or just a liar, making claims of all the abuses while not taking any action as a U.S. Naval officer, as would be required by the Uniform Code of Military Conduct. Either way, my humble opinion of John Kerry has not changed. He is certainly not a leader.

For the record, I'm not a Donald Trump fan, and I do hold Sen. John McCain in high regard for his military sacrifice, though not necessarily for his political views.

David Jaronik

Pahrump

Lacking news

Regarding the article headlined, "Attacker threatened to cook dead man, feed him to sister" (July 25 Review-Journal), I don't know who made the decision to craft this headline and place it above the fold, but for me, this shows that the Review-Journal has ended its long, slow decline and has hit bottom. It now squats there, with the National Enquirer and publications of its kind, catering to the pitiful population who believe this is news.

We've lived in Henderson for 19 years. I was dismayed by the quality of this newspaper in 1996, with its scant coverage of international news. But after a few years, there was some improvement, with more articles of national interest and less coverage of the dreary, daily bar fights and other sad incidents that happen in certain quarters of every city in the world.

But the R-J has changed hands again, providing less and less real news and more and more casino and auto ads. I realize that these ads actually pay for publishing and distribution expenses, but still, I'm sorry to see what has become of this newspaper. I'm now forced to get serious news online and local news on TV.

On a positive note, I've been enjoying the puns and wordplay someone has been injecting into headlines, and I appreciate the occasional columns of Jane Ann Morrison.

Pat Napoleon

Henderson