Senator needs to re-examine the math
To the editor:
Earlier this month, Sen. Harry Reid toured Xtreme Green Products in North Las Vegas ("Reid promotes green energy at North Las Vegas company," April 5 Review-Journal). The senator is very interested in all things green. But, the story says, Sen. Reid was "taken aback by the cost of the vehicle he was checking out: about $14,000, although a similar gasoline-powered, four-wheeled vehicle would cost around $12,000." Sen. Reid asked, "Why does it cost so much? It's kind of small."
The story goes on to say that "Neil Roth, president of Xtreme Green, told Reid that a Purdue University study showed a cost savings of $5,000 a year in gasoline compared with the electric vehicle if it were driven 20 miles a day. 'Think of the money you're saving,' Reid said."
Does Sen. Reid honestly believe that if he spends $2,000 more for a "kind of small car" he is going to save $5,000 a year in gasoline? If Sen. Reid believes that, I can understand why we are trillions of dollars in debt because of his participation and leadership. I can also understand how he cannot even get a Senate budget completed.
How is it possible to save $5,000 a year in gasoline? At $4 per gallon you can buy 1,250 gallons of gasoline for that much money. If you drive 20 miles a day for 365 days you will drive 7,300 miles in a year. So to even spend $5,000 a year on gasoline in the first place under that scenario you'd have to be driving a car that gets 5.84 miles per gallon.
Does Harry Reid believe everything a greenie tells him? God help us.
THOMAS E. PETIKA
LAS VEGAS
Just the facts
To the editor:
Concerning the Trayvon Martin shooting:
Anytime there is a shooting in this country, I want one thing - the truth. But with this incident we once again have a platform for Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Rep. Maxine Waters to race bait and push all the hate buttons. They never try to bring people of all walks of life together, like Martin Luther King did.
I couldn't care less about race or nationality in these matters, but I do care about a situation like this being discussed truthfully. What's happening here is distorted facts, edited quotes from the 911 call and pictures of both men from different times. It is inexcusable for any media outlet to not call people out for distorting facts.
Thomas Rios
Las Vegas
Pillow talk
To the editor:
The Secret Service and military personnel who were suspended or lost their jobs over the prostitution scandal in Colombia now face the hard part: They have to explain things to their wives.
Sy Bensky
Las Vegas
Be kind
To the editor:
In reference to the recent flap over Anne Romney:
We need to stop treating each other with so much disdain. No one knows what another person's life has been like.
Money does not solve everything. There is plenty of pain to go around - mental, physical, financial, emotional - and we all get some. Our existence is short. Let's be kind to one another.
J. Daluga
Henderson
Leading scholar
To the editor:
Our bloviating gas bag of a vice president, Joe Biden, last week declared that Sen. Al Franken is "one of the leading legal scholars." The far-left, former comedian was "elected" in Minnesota by means of a controversial recount. To what depths of misery and depravity has this proud 236-year-old republic fallen?
Marc Jeric
Las Vegas
