Middle East peace doesn’t have to be a dream
To the editor:
As we see the tragic consequences of horrible violence and counter-violence in Israel and Gaza, we'd do well to hear again the profoundly prophetic words of Martin Luther King Jr.:
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. ... Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. ... Love is the most durable power in the world. Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend."
How true. And how sad that we are so slow to learn.
PETER EDIGER
LAS VEGAS
Blood from a stone
To the editor:
Our so-called public servants are howling for it, those who are on the dole are demanding it, and many elected officials are considering it: more taxes.
Well, as a private-sector taxpayer who would be forced to pay for it, let me say this: "I don't have any money left."
My business is down, my home value is down, my meager investments are down, but my expenses are going up. And now these fools want me to pay more?
It's time for those who pay to have a say. I have had to cut back, my standard of living is in a free-fall, and there is no way, no way, that you can get any more blood out of this stone.
BRUCE FEHER
LAS VEGAS
A policy dinosaur
To the editor:
Finally, we have a suggestion for the modification of Nevada's defined-benefit pension plan for state employees.
A report recently issued by the Nevada Policy Research Institute suggested that the plan be replaced with a 401(k)-type program similar to those offered by private industry (Jan. 8 Review-Journal).
This suggestion is probably the single most significant cost-saving item that should be considered during this budget crisis.
It is time for the state's defined-benefit pension plan to take its rightful place: in a museum next to Tyrannosaurus rex.
Dan Scott
LAS VEGAS
