County not whining about tax diversion

To the editor:

The suggestion in your article on Monday that Clark County is complaining about the diversion of local property taxes to pay for state transportation projects does not accurately reflect the county’s position on the transportation legislation passed in the 2007 session (“Road funding idea no surprise”).

Early in the legislative session, Assembly leadership requested assistance from the county in identifying existing funding sources. It was repeatedly made clear by leadership that there was an expectation that local government would contribute local taxpayer revenues to fund the plan. Working with various financial analysts, we provided the requested information.

While various tax-transfer plans were discussed in legislative committees with legislators and industry representatives, the plan ultimately approved by the Legislature included 3 cents of local property tax along with a quarter percentage point of the rental car recovery fee and a contribution from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The broad-based transportation funding plan that would have best served Southern Nevadans, one that would address the shortfall to the year 2015, was abandoned in favor of a short-term fix that hit local governments and their constituents the hardest. Because transportation is so vitally important to Southern Nevadans, the county chose not to oppose the diversion of local taxes for state transportation projects.

Aside from the diversion of local tax dollars, there is also a legitimate fair share issue here that deserves some consideration by the transportation committee and local media. Local taxpayers have repeatedly stepped up and voted to tax themselves for local transportation projects, including the 53-mile Las Vegas Beltway. In any other state or county, projects such as the beltway would have been state projects.

Nonetheless, transportation is the lifeblood of Southern Nevada. Without a fix, however temporary, our economy and quality of life will suffer.

Clark County would have preferred, and in fact suggested, other sources with greater revenue potential, both existing and new.

Commissioners have not complained about this diversion but are focused on moving forward and developing strategies with state lawmakers, community stakeholders and the Regional Transportation Commission to develop a comprehensive financing plan for the future. The taxpayers and traveling public deserve no less.

Virginia Valentine

LAS VEGAS

THE WRITER IS CLARK COUNTY MANAGER.

Take it back

To the editor:

American citizens are not in favor of allowing illegal invaders to remain in this country. All of us are told that it is not possible to send all the illegals home. Members of Congress believe that if they say this often enough, it will be believed to be true.

However, here are a few simple ways to begin the process:

— Immediately end “birthright citizenship” for children born to illegals

— Immediately begin to enforce the law making it a crime to hire illegal aliens.

— Immediately stop providing all benefits, i.e. schooling (and the free breakfast and lunch programs), housing, medical care, including emergency medical care, to illegals.

— Immediately make English America’s official language.

— Immediately track down and deport those who overstay their visas.

Let us take our country back before it is completely lost.

ROBERTA LIPMAN

HENDERSON

Human element

To the editor:

I read Vin Suprynowicz’s column every Sunday. I usually don’t agree, but I appreciate a good writer, and his is the best-written column in the Review-Journal. I had to respond to his June 24 column, “You won’t go bankrupt. you’ll always produce.”

One of the villains in this column was a frequent target of Mr. Suprynowicz: the public school system. Normally, Mr. Suprynowicz’s arguments are well-stated and thought out. His reasons for his dislike of something are usually supported by real evidence. However, I can see no legitimate reasons for his strong dislike for what is taught in public schools. I would like to know what is being taught that is so detestable.

His rants about public schools usually include such derisive terms as “youth propaganda camps” or “mandatory government youth camps,” saying that all we teachers do is produce mindless workers who cannot ask troublesome questions. He even refers to the students as “inmates,” or graduates as “former inmates.”

The funny part about that is he casts John Dewey as one of the villains. Dewey was one of the greatest proponents of schools teaching children how to reason and govern for themselves. He felt that instead of fostering mindless obedience, schools needed to teach children how to make up their own minds.

On what is Mr. Suprynowicz basing his broad generalizations about the twin scourges of public schools and teachers? What is it exactly that I am doing that he so strongly disagrees with? What am I propagandizing about? I’m guessing he doesn’t know, or else I’m sure he would have said so many times over.

So often, columnists like Mr. Suprynowicz forget the human element of the industry they are bashing.

Jeremiah Allen

NORTH LAS VEGAS