Hype over solar project not warranted
To the editor:
I was very interested in the article which appeared in Wednesday’s Review Journal regarding the Silver State North Project (“Salazar plugs solar power”). The article stated that this 600-acre project would produce 1 percent of NV Energy’s total generating capacity in Southern Nevada.
I had to read the article a second time because I missed the issue of cost, funding and return on investment on the first pass. I missed it because it wasn’t there.
I suppose the federal government is donating the land. I see that First Solar is somehow involved. I can’t help but wonder how much they will be subsidized to produce power that we will have to buy from them and at what cost compared to the power generated by a coal- or gas-fired plant.
Solar and wind power are the wave of the future and should be a goal for us to aim toward. If they are not cost effective, however, we should continue to use power generated in ways that will keep us from breaking the backs of ratepayers and taxpayers. After the Solyndra debacle I am skeptical of anything promoted by the government.
I’m glad to hear that seven tortoises were saved, but I can’t help but wonder what it cost to locate them and find new homes for them. Since most of the 250 construction workers now on the job will be out of work when the project is completed, they might consider keeping some on the payroll to track down any wayward reptiles.
Bill Dirkse
Las Vegas
Shovel it around
To the editor:
After seeing the pictures of the top 10 wealthiest people in the country on the front page of Thursday’s Review-Journal, I would like to know if their employees are working 40 hours a week, have medical benefits and are making at least $10 per hour.
If not, shame on them!
Carol Weathers
Pahrump
Government waste
To the editor:
Page One of Thursday’s Review-Journal listed the 10 wealthiest Americans and showed that Sheldon Adelson ranked No. 8. What stood out in that article was a quote by Mr. Adelson where he said, “The richer I get, the more money goes to cancer research.”
On page 9 of the same paper was an article about an audit of several federal conferences which found that muffins cost $16 apiece, coffee was more than a dollar an ounce, and snacks were $32 per person.
While many people are in favor of the rich paying higher taxes, I’d rather see Mr. Adelson give more money to cancer research than to the federal government, which proves time and time again that it doesn’t know how to handle money.
The government shouldn’t be raising taxes on anyone — it should stop wasting taxpayer money and balance the budget.
Anthony Sommer
Las Vegas
Money printers
To the editor:
It is a political truth that whenever a politician mentions the bankruptcy of the largest Ponzi scheme in the history of the world — which is our Social Security system — it is the end of that politician’s career.
What has been overlooked in that debate is the fact that for three years running, ever since the Obama presidency, the Social Security payments have not been adjusted for inflation. So far, that amounts to an equivalent cut of about 10 percent — perhaps more when accounting for compounding.
There is no doubt that ever since President Johnson decided to place the Social Security taxes into the general spending account, to be replaced by worthless IOU’s, that the whole system was hurtling into bankruptcy
But in 1965, who cared about what would happen decades later? Certainly not our Washington politicians. After all, they had the money printing machine.
Marc Jeric
Las Vegas
Waste, corruption
To the editor:
In the president’s recent jobs bill, he is asking for $435 billion. The administration estimates that this will create between 1.2 and 1.8 million jobs. Using the White House’s best scenario, dividing $435 billion by 1.8 million jobs reveals a cost of $241,000 per job. Most of these jobs are infrastructure jobs and will be temporary.
The president’s stimulus bill passed in 2010 (American Recovery & Reinvestment Act) cost $787 billion. The administration claims it created 1.2 million jobs. Divide $787 billion by 1.2 million jobs and you find each job cost $656,000. That’s more than half million per job.
Will Nevada benefit from this new jobs bill? Well, if the $787 billion stimulus bill is any indicator we will benefit darn little. Nevada was 49th per capita of all the states on stimulus money received.
To me it is mighty suspect that so little money finally trickles down to the work project. It would seem that corruption and waste leave very little for the original goal.
Reuel Williams
Las Vegas
Tax plan
To the editor:
President Obama’s proposal to increase the tax on capital gains will serve only to reduce investment, which is required to achieve his goal of getting the economy going again. The lower capital gains tax rate exists to compensate for the risks involved where the return of investment may not be realized, and then can be written off at only $3,000 per year.
Would Warren Buffett have made various investments if capital gains were taxed as ordinary income? He might otherwise have placed his money in risk-free investments such as U.S. government bonds.
The favored tax treatment for the oil and gas industry recognizes the risks in exploration and their elimination will serve only to reduce these efforts and make us more dependent on OPEC. This again goes against another Obama goal of energy independence.
A fundamental problem is that the Obama administration is made up of very few people from business, while all prior administrations going back before Hoover have included plenty of people with business backgrounds.
This omission is repeatedly obvious and has resulted in a number of bad actions by this administration.
Henry Schmid
Las Vegas
