It’s not about race when it comes to Horsford
To the editor:
I was disappointed to read that state Sen. Steven Horsford’s race was included in the Friday Review-Journal article on his decision to run for Congress. His race should never have been referenced. The article on his decision should have been based solely on his political growth.
So he could be the first African-American elected to Congress from Nevada. Only those interested in keeping race in politics care.
One must be a citizen of the United States to run for Congress. If one is a citizen he or she is an American. No prefix is necessary. Just American.
I’ve never met Sen. Horsford but my guess is that he would agree with me.
James F. Camburn
Las Vegas
Embarrassed teachers
To the editor
You can’t blame Clark County teachers for the recent hiring of John Vellardita, a known corrupt union executive (Oct. 9 Review-Journal). The hiring by Ruben Murillo, president of the Clark County Education Association, and the association board doesn’t signify the approval of the teachers, whom the association represents, as has been common with many decisions made by the association leadership for well over a decade.
Since John Jasonek became executive director of the association, its leadership has had an agenda that focused more on keeping teachers in check than helping them with their professional needs. Most teachers are just as embarrassed by this decision as everyone else.
If you want to blame the teachers for anything, blame them for allowing their association to keep them subservient to the needs of the school district administration with no input and little regard for the needs of their students. Blame them for their inability to control their association leadership by expressing their dissatisfaction with not having been provided with the necessary professional respect and tools for their jobs.
Blame them for allowing themselves to be harassed and suppressed by unnecessary district policies that undermine their creative talents to the point that they’re no longer the needed motivating factors for the education for our children, only followers of failed policies.
Put the blame for this decision where it belongs, not on the backs of teachers who are so tied down now by so many bad association and district decisions, they can’t even see the light of day.
Jim Hayes
Las Vegas
Teed off
To the editor:
In Steve Sebelius’ Friday column, he again displays his lack of understanding of what the Tea Party is about and what we stand for. Mr. Sebelius agrees with state Sen. Steven Horsford, who just announced he is running for Congress and who fired off his first attack against conservatives and Tea Party members. Mr. Horsford stated that “there is a faction of Tea Party conservatives who are so focused on seeing our president fail they’re willing to let all of us lose.”
Mr. Horsford says that is a disgrace, and Mr. Sebelius agrees and calls him “the real thing.”
We in the Tea Party do not want the president to fail. We just believe his policies are a failure. We, like the Democrats, want to see this great country back on its feet and people working again. We just happen to believe that the president and his liberal policies of bigger government will not get us going in the right direction. We don’t believe that bailing out Wall Street, the banks, unions and encouraging people to stay on unemployment insurance for two years is the answer. But I guess when you take $16 million in campaign contributions from the Wall Streeters and bankers, you have to return the favor. This is crony capitalism, and we in the Tea Party are sick of both Democrats and Republicans engaging in that kind of politics.
We don’t believe in the president giving a half a billion tax dollars to a solar company that the experts in the industry predicted would fail — and within a year did. The president doesn’t believe we should explore for gas and oil within the United States, but believes it is proper to loan Brazil billions of dollars so it can explore for oil in its coastal waters.
As a result of this type of thinking, we are paying more than $1 a gallon more for gasoline prices than when the president entered office.
Lastly, we in the Tea Party are sick and tired of this president who believes that the federal government is the answer to our woes and will create the jobs that will get us out of this economic situation. We believe that small businesses — and, yes, big corporations — will be the ones to create the jobs that will pull us out of this mess.
Michael O. Kreps
Las Vegas
