A few questions for the candidates

I wonder how many people are as disgusted with the questions being asked at the presidential debates as I am? Questions such as:

Do you prefer diamonds or pearls? Do you believe every word in the Bible?

Heaven forbid candidates are asked to tell us what enumerated power gives government the right to mandate socialized medicine?

Or how about: Since the Supreme Court has ruled police are not required to protect individual citizens but society as a whole, do you believe law-abiding citizens should be able to protect themselves, i.e. the right to keep and bear arms?

Or as the federal budget is $3 trillion, or $10,000 for every man woman and child, are the American people undertaxed or overtaxed?

Or the most important question: Do you believe we are in danger from radical terrorists?

Don’t hold your breath that any questions like these will soon be asked.

ROBERT GARDNER

HENDERSON

On the ballot

To the editor:

Your Friday editorial on Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn’s single-handed effort to stop excessive spending and earmarks was very informative. How do we get him on the Republican ticket for president?

Paul Harper

HENDERSON

Fair tax

To the editor:

Since GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee started rising in the polls, his detractors have been getting louder and louder.

The one constant of Mr. Huckabee’s campaign has been his proposal to institute the “fair tax” if elected president. I believe that this is why there are so many pundits coming out against Mr. Huckabee — after all, without the income tax, the lobbyists and career politicians will have no political clout.

This affects all the talking heads on television, as well. Think about it for awhile. If you replace the politicians with citizen legislators, controversy will literally be a thing of the past.

I could spend the next week defending the fair tax on its merits, but just look at the main things it will do. It will help the poor by relieving them of any federal taxation whatsoever. It will bring back good-paying manufacturing jobs to the United States, thus strengthening our role in the world marketplace. The political ramifications are the best part.

So as the primaries and caucuses draw near, as we watch the different candidates go up and down in the polls, just remember that we have an opportunity to take our nation back from the career politicians who couldn’t care less about welfare of the United States.

Oh, by the way, does anybody really think religion is a political issue?

Nicholas P. Gartner

HENDERSON

Welcome guns

To the editor:

For years, Las Vegas has been at or near the top of the list of worst auto-theft rates. Recently, Metro has used decoy vehicles to entice thieves and then arrest them. This has resulted in fewer thefts because a potential car thief cannot be certain which car might be a decoy and result in his arrest.

John Lott, a senior research scientist at the University of Maryland, has shown that communities with high citizen gun ownership have less violent crime.

As has been pointed out by Review-Journal columnist Vin Suprynowicz, citizens with guns have in the past thwarted deranged and/or evil persons from carrying out their murderous plans.

Just like the auto thieves who do not know which car is a plant, potential shooters would never know which citizen is armed in a mall or elsewhere if a “gun owners welcome” sign were displayed.

Stan Ames

Henderson

Breaking point

To the editor:

Anthony Tidei, in his letter of Dec. 3, is 100 percent correct when he says, “The invasion of Iraq was a tragic mistake.”

But I think some of his other statements need clarification.

He states that the surge is working to curtail violence. That’s partly true, but he fails to mention that the primary cause lies in the Sunni disenchantment with al-Qaida in Iraq because of its ruthless slaughter of civilians. The Sunnis are now providing valuable intelligence to our military.

Anyone who doubts this should read Liz Sly’s report (Chicago Tribune) on ex-Sunni insurgents (Nov. 25 Review-Journal).

Long before the surge was initiated, retired generals warned that our military was stretched too thin.

Multiple deployments have resulted in a huge increase of desertions, which the military has wisely decided not to prosecute.

When is the breaking point? I don’t know.

ROLF GOETH

LAS VEGAS