Sandoval’s suit brought biggest tax hike ever
To the editor:
After reading the Review-Journal's Friday story concerning the current gubernatorial candidates and their stances on taxes, I am quite frankly shocked. Was it a complete oversight on the part of your reporter that Brian Sandoval's 2003 lawsuit against the state Legislature was omitted, or was it just one of the perks a front-runner gets from the hometown press?
To set the record straight, as attorney general, Mr. Sandoval sued the Nevada Legislature in 2003 in order to pass a tax increase to the tune of $800 million. To my knowledge, that was the single largest proposed increase in Nevada history. I for one would love to hear his side of that particular story. I bet a lot of Nevadans would.
While he's at it, he can explain how raising taxes on Nevada mining would be harmful in a recession where gold is being traded at record prices, and Nevada mining companies are seeing record profits while the rest of us starve.
To me, Mr. Sandoval has a lot of soul-searching to do before answering a question on taxes in the near future.
ARIC MILLER
LAS VEGAS
Politically vulnerable
To the editor:
With regard to Regent Michael Wixom's March 28 commentary "No more cuts across the board": I am also reading Peter D. Eckel's book "Changing Course: Making the Hard Decisions to Eliminate Academic Programs" in light of our recent higher education budget cuts. There I stumbled on his rather frightening assessment of the process used, based on his case study of four colleges, that should serve as a word of warning to us:
"The four cases suggest that institutions discontinued programs at times when campus leaders thought 'they could get away with it,' to quote one informant. As elaborated in an earlier chapter, program closures were not based on cost, quality or institutional mission.
"Rather, the closed programs tended to share some common characteristics, which when taken together, created political vulnerability."
Let us pray that the current (largely closed) process under way at our colleges and universities to eliminate programs will truly focus on the future educational needs of our community and will not just be another culling of the "politically vulnerable."
MARK NEWBURN
LAS VEGAS
Mandates
To the editor:
Congress believes it has the power to force every citizen to buy health insurance. What else will we be forced to buy if this insanity continues? How about life insurance or dental, vision, hearing, cancer or burial insurance? Or flood insurance for residents of Death Valley?
Don't laugh, this is extremely serious and no one is protecting our God-given rights. No one.
ROBERT E. McARDLE SR.
HENDERSON
I'll tax the street
To the editor:
I like the vehicle mileage tax plan. I think it's a great idea.
We should get taxed one more time for daring to own a vehicle. You get taxed when you buy the vehicle, you get taxed when you register the vehicle and then you get taxed every time you fill up.
Yes, we should get taxed for the fourth time. How dare we drive to work, play or just show family around town. We should have Big Brother knowing where our vehicle is at all times.
We should have to pay to drive on our roads. Oh, wait -- we already do that. Then we should have to pay for all the extra mileage we drive. Oh, wait, we do that when we fill up with gas.
Well, then we should have to pay for the privilege of owning a car. Oh, wait, we do that already when we have to pay the state yearly to register our vehicle.
Well, maybe we're just not paying enough taxes. Go ahead, soak us for one more thing. It's not as if we need the money.
FORREST A. HENRY
NORTH LAS VEGAS
Stellar lineup
To the editor:
If the Tea Party conservatives take over, here is their Cabinet:
Secretary of labor: "Joe the Plumber." He never had a plumber's license and owes more than $1,000 in back taxes.
Secretary of state: Sarah Palin. She can go to other countries and say, "Betcha."
Secretary of education: Glenn Beck. He tells a lot of lies and has his own chalk board.
All seniors will no longer take their Social Security or Medicare because they do not trust the government.
What a world it will be!
MONROE CURTIS
LAS VEGAS
Had no choice
To the editor:
In his March 31 letter, Robert Bencivenga states that attendees at the March 27 Searchlight Tea Party event who are over 65 and collecting federal benefits through Medicare were hypocrites.
Let me get this straight: These people were forced into a program where the federal government took money from every paycheck they earned and, in return, promised a benefit if they reached a set retirement age.
Now, after all the years of forced participation, they are cashing in on this investment, and they are hypocrites?
Seems to reinforce the idea of privatization for me. I wish I had all the money the government has collected "for" me over 40 years of working and paying in. Wonder what that would be worth today?
DON DIECKMANN
HENDERSON
