Our politicians need to respect the truth

Cass Sunstein’s Sunday Viewpoints essay offered up four steps that he believes U.S. politicians can take immediately following this election to restore norms for both future governance and our elections. These were: civility, compromise, support for attractive proposals from the other side and confirmation of executive branch appointees.

I would strongly suggest a fifth: a commitment to the truth.

Truth belongs to no one and is required by everyone. The individual — and we, as a community — cannot make any reasonable decisions without the truth. It does not work. A lie made for political gain actually gains nothing for anyone. Let’s stop doing that.

Let’s support our political positions with truth that is supported by acceptable facts or arguments supported by sound logic and fact. We ask this of our children in their school training. Can we not ask this of ourselves in our politics?

Richard L. Strickland

North Las Vegas

Electric cars

Don’t vote to increase the fuel tax on cars until electric cars are included. The wealthy and well-connected owners of electric cars get one subsidy after another and we poor slobs end up footing the bill.

Question 5 proposes to increase our gasoline tax and ignores the fact that the fuel tax on electric cars is zero, nada, nothing. Vote “no” on Question 5.

R.P. McGarrity

Las Vegas

Wasted effort

Ah ha! Now we know why Hillary’s bunch have been pushing so hard to get the Democrats to vote early. They wanted to get those votes in before the truth came out about her sordid past. Oh, they do indeed have a well-oiled machine. But I do feel sorry for them — all of that wasted effort. And it’s too bad that Anthony Weiner gave her the shaft.

Marco Cooke

Henderson

Smear campaign

I’ve voted in every election for the past 47 years, and never have I seen such a concerted, ongoing effort at character assassination as I have seen in this year’s presidential contest. The drip-drip-drip of WikiLeaks “information” about Hillary Clinton’s emails is nothing less that an orchestrated smear campaign.

The latest “revelation” about Anthony Weiner is at the moment completely unproven and not even substantiated to have anything to do with Mrs. Clinton. Yet the media are saturating the airwaves with it. And nothing will be proven before the election, so what is the point of releasing this now? You tell me.

People, don’t be fooled. Vote for whomever you want, but cast your ballot based on facts, not fear-mongering.

Terri Maue

Las Vegas

Good provisions

Maybe Obamacare wouldn’t be in such bad shape if the Republicans had joined with the Democrats to improve it rather than just repeal it. Dysfunction accomplishes nothing.

Although you may not agree, Obamacare does have some good provisions.

James Hutkin

Henderson

Voter privacy

I voted early. The day after I voted, I received another political phone call telling me they were aware of my having voted and wanted further information! This brought out the creep factor alarm. Now the government is monitoring who votes and when? Does anyone else find this unacceptable?

I consider this an invasion of my privacy. Is this how future election are going to play out? Hundreds of annoying political calls, then verification that a person voted and requesting information on my vote?

America is dead as a democratic Republic. I guess it is too much to hope that I still can maintain some semblance of privacy.

Marlene Drozd

Las Vegas

Voter intimidation

I just saw on Fox News Hillary Clinton telling her supporters that, “If you know someone who is going to vote for Donald Trump, stage an intervention.”

Forcing an American, against his or her will, to vote for your candidate is voting fraud, coercion and/or obstruction. Last I checked, all of this was illegal.

Asking any American to break the law on her behalf is just one more example of Hillary’s deplorable character. She is not someone I want as my president.

Kathleen M. Stone

Pahrump