Principal did right thing with student protest

To the editor:

In response to the Wednesday letter from Mark Bierhaalder on the student protest at Desert Oasis High School:

How dare Mr. Bierhaalder attack school Principal Emil Wozniak for supporting his students? He claims this was an "orchestrated student protest." But Mr. Wozniak did not orchestrate anything -- the students did. The students are tired of getting the raw end of the deal here. I have a student who attends Desert Oasis, and the word came through text messages that the kids would walk out. Mr. Wozniak was outside with them, yes -- it was peaceful and he watched out for the safety of our students.

Mr. Wozniak is a top-notch principal for whom many have the utmost respect.

This had nothing to do with teachers not doing their jobs. That is a completely separate issue. There are people in every workplace who do not perform as well as others. This story is about a principal and a father who is supporting the voices of his students.

Good for you, Mr. Wozniak. This district needs help, and more cuts are not the answer.

Shana Stott

Las Vegas

Temp hires

To the editor:

I can't believe what I read in the Review-Journal on Tuesday morning. I checked the Internet, and the same article was published across the country. Your Business section headline was: "Temp hiring no longer a good sign."

It's typical blather by an economics community that has not been able to predict any of the changes that have occurred in the past three years with even a modicum of accuracy. It is one of the most irresponsible statements I've heard from them since I sat in a meeting chaired by Keith Schwer of UNLV about three years ago, when he said that there was no housing bubble in Las Vegas and that the Las Vegas economy was immune from a recession.

The basis for the article is that temp hiring has increased over the past four months but there is no sign of permanent hiring. Over the past 36 years, covering the previous five recessions, the formula has held true, and the increased hiring of permanent positions was preceded by an average of three to four months of temp hiring increases. We are emerging from the worst recession since the Great Depression. Of course, it's going to take more than three or four months for businesses to gain confidence and start hiring permanent staff.

A little research shows that the economists missed the recession (it took them six months after the recession began before they would use the "R" word). And they've not been able to predict any of the changes in the economy since then.

I have absolutely no faith in economists being able to predict the future.

Tom Haynie

Las Vegas

The writer is chief operating officer for Manpower Inc. of Southern Nevada.

Term limits

To the editor:

In response to the recent stories about moderates leave Congress:

The point here is that instead of running for re-election and facing the voting public while trying to explain why they have not done their jobs, these people have opted to quit.

Congress is not broken. Instead, we have allowed inept people to hold office. These very same people have put their own personal goals ahead of what's good for the U.S. citizen and have always been more concerned about getting re-elected than governing. Now that the voters have had enough and have collectively started to speak up, they have decided that maybe they should quit. To these people I say: good riddance. You should have left years ago.

Politics should not be a career. Any person who has been in an elected position for more than 10 years has lost touch with the world that the everyday citizen has to live in. He has no concept of the decisions a small business owner has to make every day or how a single mother has to decide which bill to let slide this week to make sure the kids have lunch.

It is time the news media wake up to these facts and help spread the word that term limits are a must for all elected and appointed offices.

Billy Johnson

Las Vegas

Keep it coming

To the editor:

As I understand it, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will have a fundraiser in conjunction with President Obama's visit here this week.

I hope he raises $100 million or better. If this money were spent in Nevada, it would be one of the more effective, shovel-ready, job stimulus projects. It probably wouldn't change any votes, but it would surely help our economy.

Thank you, Sen. Reid, and keep it coming.

McRae Hamblin

Las Vegas

On the take

To the editor:

In response to Brent Bandhauer's Feb. 12 letter, "State workers don't mooch -- and they pay taxes!":

First, Mr. Bandhauer contends that Bill Edwards, in his letter of Feb. 2, failed to realize or purposefully omitted the fact that, as consumers, we all pay each other's salary and benefit packages. This statement is completely false. While private-sector taxpayers do, in fact, pay for all government worker salaries and benefits, public workers do not pay for private-sector workers.

Point two: Mr. Bandhauer states "state workers are no more moochers than anyone else in our modern world." Granted, all workers pay taxes for common good and services. But would you rather pay taxes on a $90,000-a-year or a $45,000-a-year salary? This is the approximate difference between public- and private-sector salaries. I don't call this mooching by the public sector -- I call it outright stealing.

CLARENCE LANZRATH

LAS VEGAS