The right attitude: Service with a smile
To the editor:
Richard James' Thursday letter lamenting the plight of public employees appears to have been written by an individual who has an entitlement mentality. His closing comment was, "The next time anyone has contact with a state employee or seeks state services and experiences a curt, unhappy, distant individual, you will know why."
I question if Mr. James could make it outside the public sector with this attitude.
I am a retired businessman. In the early '90s, I left a large national company and joined a local firm in Portland. A short time following my move, a number of us took a 10 percent cut in salary because of economic reasons affecting our company. I understood the reasons and did so willingly.
The service provided by those of us who took the reduction was, in no way, affected by the reduced salary. Our firm was known for a high level of professional service and expertise, and this was not compromised.
Mr. James and others who feel as he does need to wake up and face the real world. My guess is that there are many well-qualified individuals who would welcome the opportunity to fill his position.
James F. Camburn
Las Vegas
GOP backbone
To the editor:
As a conservative, I find it difficult not to be cynical about the 2011 Legislature. The Democrats again succeeded in getting their precious extension of tax increases.
Why do we end up with so many weak-kneed Republican legislators, and what can we do to change this paradigm?
I have two suggestions:
1. Legislators are obviously interested in government, and therefore tend to be sympathetic to the institutions of government. We need legislators with more of a business mind and less of a government mind.
2. The bar is set too low on taxes. The "no new taxes" signed pledge should be only a minimum requirement for all Republican candidates. We should also be getting candidates who propose tax cuts, spending cuts and reform of the entire system. For once, let's have a "compromise" on taxes that involves reducing the amount of tax cuts, instead of compromises on reducing the tax increases.
I must say that there was one positive aspect of the 2011 legislative session: adjournment.
Mike Mathews
Las Vegas
