Quit complaining about caucus — get involved

To the editor:

There seem to be a lot of voters upset with the recent Nevada caucuses. They are complaining about inadequate planning, confusion, not enough ballots, etc. Some are even upset they had to park at the far side of the school parking lot.

They blame the caucus organizers for not telling them they would need to know their precinct number or have proper identification with them. Some complained the candidate they wanted to support didn't have a chance at the caucus because the other candidates' supporters dominated the event. It is, after all, politics, and the one with the most support usually wins.

Once again, no one seems to want to accept personal responsibility.

For weeks in advance, the two parties had been getting the word out through the media about the caucus process. There were numerous articles in the newspapers, news stories on television, Web sites with information that all detailed who, what, when, where and why. Both parties had caucus training sessions all over the valley.

Maybe voters should realize the political process takes more than just showing up to vote. Both parties are in operation 365 days a year, not just on Election Day. And most of it is accomplished by hardworking, dedicated volunteers. If you're upset with the outcome, quit whining. Become part of the solution and volunteer to make it work better next time.

And to all of you upset about the caucus, please recall the news stories of the elections in Iraq that showed voters so happy for the privilege of voting they walked for miles through a combat zone just so they could proudly display a finger dipped in purple ink.

Richard Deeds

LAS VEGAS

Left out

To the editor:

The hollow men and women who would be president have come and gone. While'st here, they begged and pleaded for the Hispanic vote, the black vote, the Asian vote, the women's vote, and the younger vote. But not, it seems, for my vote. White male.

JAMES HARRIS

HENDERSON

Shut out

To the editor:

About the recent caucus: Can any Nevada politician please explain to me why they intentionally left out all of the military personnel who are stationed outside the state of Nevada?

Any members of the military who are currently serving on active duty, whether it be in a war zone, other foreign countries or any state other than Nevada who are legal residents of the state of Nevada, were excluded from voting on who they would like to be their party's next presidential candidate.

How can this state overlook the military, who are sacrificing so much for the United States?

I was very disappointed that none of the many fine military organizations that do so much to promote and take care of the military rights -- such as, but not limited to, the America Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars -- did not question why the military were denied the right to vote in Nevada.

KYLE DAVIS

LAS VEGAS

Powerful gamers

To the editor:

In regard to the ruling on the teachers union initiative petition to raise the gaming tax:

The judicial system once again gave the casino industry a pass. The judge's reasoning was that the petition related to more than one issue, so she threw out the petition.

But why didn't the judges do the same with the smoking ban?

The Nevada smoking ban petition also encompassed more than one issue. It included issues relating to the casinos, giving them preferential treatment over and above other business establishments in the state. The vague, hurried and poorly written Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act was so ill-conceived that it had numerous issues covering such areas as schools, markets, convenience stores, bars and grills, just to mention a few.

Both the smoking ban petition and the gaming tax petition highlight how much of a stranglehold the gaming industry has on the politicians and the entire judicial system here in this state.

Why doesn't one judge stand up to the gaming industry? Serve all the people and not just one industry.

I submit that if the casino industry had backed up all the convenience stores, bars and taverns on the smoking issue, they wouldn't be fighting off this gaming tax petition.

What goes around comes around, casino moguls.

BRADLEY KUHNS

LAS VEGAS

Blame Harry

To the editor:

In response to your Thursday article about Sen. Harry Reid finding jobs for the employees laid off on the Yucca Mountain Project: For the record, the Department of Energy and Bechtel SAIC -- not Sen. Reid -- are doing what they can to find jobs for the 500-plus people Harry has displaced.

I am a victim of his $100 million budget cut, but I am not a disgruntled employee. I just speak from experience and the truth. I am too young to draw full Social Security benefits and too old to find another position. My only recourse is to sell my house in the depths of a housing depression and move to a more affordable state in the Midwest.

Sen. Reid has taken my job, my house and most of my retirement. He is personally responsible for the hundreds of well-educated, skilled workers that will no longer be contributing to Nevada's economy.

Sen. Reid, likewise, has not told you how much the government's liability is every day for the lawsuits from the utility companies because their waste has not been removed as required by law. The money for the project, contributed by ratepayers (not taxpayers), is sitting in a nuclear waste fund that Sen. Reid has the power to make available for this pressing national need.

I will not argue here about whether you are for or against the project -- the science speaks for itself. I am just concerned and sorry that the voting public does not know about the havoc Sen. Reid has caused in hundreds of lives and to the economy -- and instead, probably believe what is printed.

Bonnie S. Ballard

LAS VEGAS

Good man?

To the editor:

I read in the Wednesday Review-Journal that Rep. Shelley Berkley has written a letter asking for leniency for Don Davidson, who was convicted of wire fraud.

She states that, "I believe Mr. Davidson to be a good man who behaved badly and I am certain he is extremely remorseful for his activities. His actions were wrong, but he is not a bad person."

I am sure there are numerous people in our prisons who are not bad, but behaved badly, and are also remorseful. That does not justify the crime.

What I would like to know is how much money, if any, Don Davidson or his family has contributed to Rep. Berkley's re-election committee in the past.

If this fact were known it may help to understand her position.

BRYCE A. LEE

LAS VEGAS