Politics and the attorney general’s judgment

To the editor:

Something stinks in the Nevada attorney general’s office.

First, state Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, a Republican, announces his intention to run against Sen. Harry Reid in 2010, and Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, opens an investigation that tarnishes Mr. Krolicki and stops the threat to Sen. Harry Reid’s throne.

The case is thrown out before coming to trial. The charges are never amended and the phony case evaporates.

Then Ms. Masto tells Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons to pound sand when he legally directs her to join the fight against ObamaCare. It was not optional under Nevada law, but the governor backed down at the AG’s intransigence.

Now Ms. Masto files six felony charges against an obviously crooked member of her party. Then she pleads the charges down to a slap on the wrist and tells us state law was not strong enough to support the case her office put together.

Then why did she file six felony charges in the first place? It’s almost as if the case was planned to fail. Hmmm.

Craig Stevenson

Las Vegas

Bad doctors

To the editor:

In response to Charles Krauthammer’s Oct. 16 column, “The scapegoat strategy”:

Never has the saying “the best defense is a good offense” been more appropriate than to describe Mr. Krauthammer’s cover-up of Republican efforts to tank the economy and blame President Barack Obama.

This very partisan columnist’s pathetic effort is best explained by using a medical analogy.

In 1993, Bill Clinton took over an economy in recession from George H.W. Bush. The new chief economic doctor had a balanced prescription for the economy, but greedy Republicans hated it because it hiked the upper income tax bracket from 35 to 39 percent. Republicans predicted a doomsday recession.

The economy, however, created 23 million jobs and Mr. Clinton left with a balanced budget.

Then George W. Bush, the ultimate business Schlemiel, came in. He had four oil companies and ran each into the ground, resulting in repeated Saudi bailouts. Mr. Bush started massive deregulation policies, didn’t enforce the financial regulatory laws and his Republican Congress rolled the top tax rate back to 35 percent. Bottom line: He produced the worst recession since the Great Depression with 8 million lost jobs and collapsing banks.

Barack Obama inherited a patient on the brink of death. Recovery requires time and patience. Mr. Obama’s medicine saved the banking system, General Motors and Chrysler and turned job losses of 780,000 a month into monthly gains of 130,000.

But Republicans hate the doctor, are deliberately tanking the economy and prefer the failed remedies of the Schlemiel doctor. They and Mr. Krauthammer are guilty of economic malpractice.

Ray A. Cohn

Las Vegas

No confidence

To the editor:

It appears that the popular argument of the moment is whether we should raise taxes on certain citizens so the federal government can give other citizens home loans, university tuition, local fire and police protection, primary education, etc., etc., etc.

Where does the Constitution give power to the federal government to do these things?

Now our illustrious leaders in Washington want to forgive student loans? I am sure home mortgages and credit card debt cannot be too far behind.

So my taxes go to pay for my neighbor’s house and university education. Do you think the feds will ever get around to forgiving me for not paying taxes anymore? I mean, shouldn’t we schmucks out here, who still believe that it is wrong to covet our neighbors and vote to steal from them, get a break? Maybe we should all just enroll in a university and stay there until we qualify for Social Security.

We not only have thrown the Constitution in the trash, we have thrown the Ten Commandments there also.

Confidence in my fellow citizens is diminishing. Confidence equals the economy. It won’t be long till the crash. Welcome to serfdom.

Richard Vertrees

Las Vegas