Can we sue the Sierra Club for road delays?

To the editor:

Your Sunday editorial mentioned the Sierra Club lawsuit to block the widening of U.S. Highway 95, which has been a bone of contention of mine for some years now.

For more than a year “the Club” filed bogus lawsuits to cause unnecessary delays and costs to valley governments, taxpayers and commuters. Now that the project is all but done, why can’t the Nevada Department of Transportation go after “the Club” for the costs of these delays and setbacks? Maybe the homeowners within a six-block distance of U.S. 95 could sue for at least $5,000 apiece for having an idling parking lot next to their homes instead of a smooth-flowing expressway. How about a few hundred thousand commuters sue for one gallon of gasoline per day they wasted sitting in this parking lot for more than a year? What about the lost time idling away on U.S. 95? Say $10 per hour per day for over a year?

This leaves us with the accident victims. How many lives were lost due to this unnecessary delay in getting a safer road built for us to travel? Would $10 million per victim be too much? What about the temporary and permanent accident injuries suffered because of the bogus lawsuit filed by “the Club”?

Perhaps a massive lawsuit against “the Club” could be pursued, and maybe we could bid farewell to an organization that started out with a moral environmental compass but has now turned more to frivolous, anti-human escapades.

Robert Opp

LAS VEGAS

Traffic signals

To the editor:

Having driven Clark County streets for three years, I retired after putting up with traffic signals that are totally out of whack.

I can name hundreds of intersections where pedestrian walk signals are activated and remain on for ridiculous amounts of time. Of course, there is not one pedestrian in sight for miles. This forces cross traffic vehicles to idle, which in turn wastes fuel like crazy.

Another common thing is that many left-turn arrows at intersections activate with not one car in the turn lane. Again, cross traffic and opposing traffic sits and idles away. This creates one huge waste of time and waste of fuel.

One must wonder if the county is even remotely aware that the traffic signals operate this way.

The Regional Transportation Commission needs to make some “road trips” to watch this senseless waste of time and energy. Traffic signals are operated by computer. And as most people know, one can program a computer to do anything that is desired.

Maybe this waste of fuel at red signals is a “planned event”?

Todd Wheelan

NORTH LAS VEGAS

Rich and smart

To the editor:

Regarding Democratic Assemblyman Tick Segerblom’s letter of Nov. 11 (“Story exaggerated Edwards’ connection to lenders”), are we to say, “Poor John Edwards”? Except that he isn’t poor. He’s very rich. And very rich people have the means (and presumably the smarts) to know what they are doing.

I have no doubt that Sen. Edwards “took immediate action” to divest his portfolio of investments in companies that were involved in predatory lending practices. He’s running for president as a champion of the underclass. But why was the investment in his portfolio in the first place?

Mr. Segerblom says that Mr. Edwards “asked for and received assurances” from executives of the company that it did not participate directly or indirectly in “predatory lending activities.” Was that the extent of his due diligence? Is that how rich people inform themselves about the investments they make? And whatever he did or did not ask company executives, he surely knew, or should have known, he was investing in a company that lent money to subprime borrowers, where the risk of default and foreclosure was the greatest, and the anticipated rates of return were the highest.

Mr. Segerblom says that Mr. Edwards “takes action to solve a problem,” referring to legislation proposed by Sen. Edwards. But legislation amounts to words, not actions. The most telling action he took was investing in a company that foreclosed on the very people whose votes he is trying to win. And he’s using words to cover his tracks.

Actions speak louder than words.

Richard McCord

HENDERSON

Ron Paul

To the editor:

The media have basically ignored the fact that Ron Paul’s GOP presidential campaign raised more than $4 million in one 24-hour period. This is unprecedented.

The reason for these donations is Ron Paul’s message. He is the only candidate setting out solutions to the problems, not just the problems which we are all aware of.

Visit ronpaul2008.com and check out his message.

A. BRADSHAW

LAS VEGAS