Private ambulance firms denied override device

To the editor,

So Scott Johnson, Las Vegas Firefighters Local 1285 vice president, is proud to compare his outfit's superior response times to those of private ambulance services (John L. Smith "Rescue response" column, Nov. 16.) This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that private services, unlike the Fire Department, have been unable to purchase the Opticom device used to change traffic lights from red to green, would it? (Las Vegas Sun, Nov. 14.)

And why should Opticom have been unavailable to the private companies? From the Sun: "Rick Masse, who for three decades has sold and installed traffic signal pre-emption devices, including many in the Las Vegas Valley, said companies such as Opticom simply do not sell to any private business without authority from local government agencies."

Now, hands up anybody who can name one of those "local government agencies." Yes! - the Fire Department.

These selfless servants of the public don't care who's first to reach those in desperate need of help, as long as it's the Fire Department.

GRAHAM H. TYE

NORTH LAS VEGAS

Stand and fight

To the editor:

I served America while in the U.S. Army for 14 years. America needs us now more then ever. We must change government and we cannot do that if we run away.

I beg those who are for adding their names to the White House Petition for a Peaceful Grant For Withdrawal from the greatest nation the world has ever seen to change their desire to leave America.

If you leave her in her hour of need, where will you go when something happens to the state you will be living in?

I say "Stay and stand up for America." Let's make America strong once again. Remember those words of long ago: "Divide and conquer." When in the past other nations needed us, we were there. Well, now America needs us. Let's all return to our faith.

JOHN KEATTS

LAS VEGAS

Green energy farce

To the editor:

Your Nov. 13 story "Reflected savings" gives us some interesting numbers. A system of 5,541 solar panels will save Faith Lutheran Junior/Senior High School $140,000 on its annual power bill. The system costs $5.2 million. This is a return on investment of 3 percent. This is a lousy return and that is not taking maintenance and repairs into consideration. Bombard Renewable Energy is covering maintenance and repairs for five years. What then?

Who foot the bill for the $5.2 million project? Tax credits paid for by you and I and folks paying NV Energy bills. Another bad investment by the government. Why this blind devotion to projects that are bad investments, but which are then presented in a newspaper article making them sound like a good thing?

Another tricky number scenario that we hear very little about: The 2 percent moratorium of the last two years on FICA taxes has cost the Social Security Trust Fund nearly $800 billion. I hear little or no complaint about this. They say Social Security needs tweaking, but the administration has elected to divert the monies in other directions, leaving Social Security weaker than ever, and we are not complaining. Why?

REUEL WILLIAMS

LAS VEGAS

In the dark

To the editor:

Letter writer Rogell Burkett ("Wait to be told," Nov. 15) states that he worked for the federal government for 20 years and subsequently believes that we, the people, are not entitled to transparency of any kind. Even more astoundingly, he says we should believe everything we are told by governmental agencies. All I can say is OMG! Apparently Mr. Burkett believes in the concept of a "Mushroom-growing government" - keep the people in the dark and feed them BS.

RON MOERS

HENDERSON

Drank the Kool-Aid

To the editor:

First let me thank letter-writer Rogell Burkett (Nov. 15) for his 20 years of service to the United States Government. I agree with him up to a point. Under certain circumstances some information needs to be classified and kept from the general public.

However, I also recall that as a Marine Private I was baffled that ALL training manuals were classified. I never could figure out how the measurements of a "1-2-3" Trench (1 foot wide, 2 feet deep, and 3 feet long) described in the Field Sanitation and Hygiene Manual could possibly give aid and comfort to the enemy.

Now before you lump me in with the all of the people who "have no idea what took place," let me point out that I too worked for the U.S. government - 45 years worth. First in the Marine Corps, and later as a special agent in one of those alphabet organizations you referenced. I can't believe that you had the supreme audacity and unmitigated gall to tell the American people to accept the news they received and HOPE it's accurate. Are you kidding me? During your 20 years you must have drank a lot of the Kool-Aid.

If we wait we may find out what really happened. Or some bureaucrat may use the time for a really good cover-up

RONALD R. SHARETTS

LAS VEGAS

I'm also the president

To the editor:

Wow!! Was I the only one who noticed that at his Nov. 14 news conference President Obama's hair was suddenly darker? I mean on the campaign trail we noticed a grayer head on the president. He even joked about it when he voted, showing his license photo to the poll worker and saying that even though he was grayer it was his photo. Now, eureka, darker hair!! Grecian Formula, perhaps?

Ah, vanity, thy name is not only woman. I hope the Grecian formula on his head is not a precursor to a Greece type formula for the American economy during his second term.

GEORGE PUCINE

LAS VEGAS

Here it comes

To the editor:

My own predictions for the next two years: Within the first six months of 2013 unemployment will increase by 300,000 to 500,000. This will be only the beginning. All of the following will be due to the cost of ObamaCare and increase in taxes: $5 to $6 for a gallon of gas; the higher cost of food and the extreme tightening of environmental rules and regulations; no new drilling of gas or oil and no new coal production; a government takeover of as many jobs and businesses as possible within two to four years.

The most damaging of all will be a debt of $20 trillion to $22 trillion in the next four years. By the end of four more years we will be socialized and on the brink of collapse as a nation.

If you want to see what that is like, take a good look at Greece. You want something free? Start a new nation like the one the U.S. used to be.

DARWIN SCHUETTE

NORTH LAS VEGAS