Vegas council members deserve a pay raiseFROM OUR READERS

To the editor:

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is absolutely correct in recommending a pay raise for the members of the City Council (Review-Journal, Thursday).

The city of Chicago had its municipal election in February. Offices on the ballot included mayor, city clerk, city treasurer and 50 aldermen. (Chicago has 50 wards.)

The new Chicago City Council was just sworn in on May 1, and the aldermen receive salaries of $98,125 a year. They'll receive cost-of-living pay raises each of the next four years. The mayor, Richard M. Daley, draws a salary of more than $200,000.

The comparison of our City Council's compensation -- $45,410 per year -- with the Chicago salaries makes us look like Mayberry R.F.D. -- or even Dogpatch.

DANIEL S. MAXIME

LAS VEGAS

Crazy ones

To the editor:

Jonah Goldberg, in his Thursday column, whips himself into a frenzy over a poll which may or may not show that some Democrats believe George W. Bush somehow had a hand in 9/11. His conclusion that the Democrats have a "serious" problem is toned down considerably from the hyperbolic headline which intimates that they all are "paranoid" and "crazy."

On the other hand, Mr. Goldberg makes light of Democratic allegations that many Republicans believe Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11. This myth was purposely encouraged by the Bush administration in order to sell the public and Congress on the invasion and occupation of Iraq, resulting in our ongoing endless deadly quagmire.

Just recently we saw three Republican presidential candidates -- almost one-third of the field -- aver on national television that they did not believe in evolution.

Now, in light of the above, let me just ask: Who are the paranoid and crazy ones here, and who has the really serious problem?

Bob Hannah

HENDERSON

Drama queen

To the editor:

Regarding the latest drama created by District Judge Elizabeth Halverson due to the illegal circumventing of court security by her personally hired security guards:

Although Judge Halverson has broken no laws by being a public drama queen, she has broken laws by having the men she hired bypass the security checkpoint set up for all who enter the courthouse. Judge Halverson owes the citizens of Clark County an apology for intentionally breaking the law -- and she can start with me.

MARILYN KIDWELL

LAS VEGAS

Tax breaks

To the editor:

As a hard-working educator, I find it abominable that the governor vetoed Senate Bill 567, the measure that would freeze green building tax breaks (Tuesday Review-Journal). Gov. Jim Gibbons' action on this measure will cost Nevada's schools millions of dollars. I just don't understand why he continues to protect corporate interests on the backs our public schools.

Perhaps one day Gov. Gibbons will acknowledge that some issues must be bipartisan -- and education is one of them. Instead of fighting over tax breaks for big business and gaming, we should all be focused on creating a top-notch education system. That day seems pretty far off to me.

MARY GOO

SPARKS

Bad idea

To the editor:

The proposal by Gov. Jim Gibbons to redirect a portion of the Clark County room tax to fund highway projects is, with all due respect, asinine. How is it that Gov. Gibbons, of all people, cannot recognize the value of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to promote Las Vegas?

Pick the perfect cliché. "Rob Peter to pay Paul"? Or perhaps, "Bite the hand that feeds you"? Maybe, "Kill the goose that lays the golden egg."

The phenomenal growth experienced in Southern Nevada did not occur overnight. It was, rather, a direct result of smart work by the convention authority, thousands of hotel and casino representatives, the entire tourism industry and the synergy generated among the entire group. I am also employed in that industry and depend upon its continued growth for my livelihood.

Recently, I attended a dinner meeting of an International Travel and Tourism Club and listened to Mr. Gibbons -- he was a congressman at the time -- tout his long career in the travel and tourism industry and the need to stay focused on tourism growth as key to the success of this great city. During the course of his remarks, he stressed the need to grow tourism. Music to our ears, of course, but many years prior to Mr. Gibbons' arrival on the scene, the industry was doing just that -- working to grow tourism. The trickle-down effect is well-documented.

Little did we know he would soon actually advocate restricting such growth.

The Las Vegas tourism business model is viewed as the benchmark for other major destinations around the country -- and the world, for that matter. The marketing strategies incorporated by the convention authority have allowed this destination to prosper beyond our greatest expectations. To stall that momentum would be akin to waiving a white flag and to simply allow the competition to steal away future convention delegates and the lion's share of some 40 million annual visitors to Las Vegas.

Make no mistake, leaders in Orlando, New York, Chicago and San Francisco, among other places, are all waiting for the governor to enact a huge blunder. Fewer tourists translates to fewer airline seats being flown into McCarran International Airport -- a concept surely Gov. Gibbons can understand, given his career in the airline industry. Fewer marketing dollars for Las Vegas means more opportunity for our competitors.

I stand with thousands of others who oppose this pending and absurd idea by Gov. Gibbons, and urge him to reconsider his not-so-well-thought-out proposal.

John A. Pappas

LAS VEGAS

Poor record

To the editor:

I can't believe they are even considering it. All the Democratic presidential candidates -- and some of the Republican ones -- are running around telling us we need universal health care (socialized medicine). Let's take a look at some of the programs they have instituted in the past.

Since 1965, we have spent more than $6 trillion on the "poor." The result? The percentage of the population we consider "poor" hasn't changed.

How about Social Security? It's going broke, not because we haven't paid our fair share but because our politicians have spent the money on give-away programs that in turn get them re-elected. Some day in the very near future they are going to raise our payroll taxes and either raise the retirement age or remove the cap on earnings that will turn Social Security into another welfare program. I would bet they try to do all of the above.

Although Social Security is in terrible shape, Medicare is even worse. Both will be bankrupt in the near future.

Lastly let's not forget immigration. After giving approximately 2.5 million illegal aliens amnesty in 1986 and promising us it was a one-time thing, we now have about 12 million illegal aliens in our country because Congress didn't secure the border as it promised.

With a government track record like that, what do you think socialized health care would look like? For the sake of us all, I hope we never find out.

Robert Gardner

HENDERSON