A little snip, snip would solve wild horse issue

Our politicians have responded to recent articles and editorials in the Review-Journal on the mismanagement of wild horse herds. Some of our congressional representatives have offered nice sound bites on the need for change in our horse and burro management.

Before I offer my proposed solution, I’d like you to guess the governmental solution. But before you do, I’ll give you a clue: The proposal is advocated by both Democrat and Republican elected officials.

If you are clever, you no doubt have come up with the answer.

The government solution starts with the governor, Brian Sandoval. I like our state governor. He is one of the few Republicans I believe to be presidential quality. And yet, according to the Review-Journal, Gov. Sandoval’s response to the overpopulation of feral horses and burros is a threat “to pursue legal options to boost federal funding for managing wild horse populations.” Republicans and Democrats at the national level concur.

I read this stuff and I am just amazed. We’re spending more than $75 million a year to maintain wild horse and burro herds, and now the proposal is to spend yet more on feral domestic animals. There’s a better way to deal with the problem.

Set up some portable corrals. Drop in some food and water. In a short period of time, those horses will be Johnny-on-the-spot. Then, one nice day, you close the gate, dart the males and — while they are sleeping — do a little snipping.

Soon, the herds will dwindle. Eventually, we could close those luxurious BLM ranches for feral horses and burros. We could sell those ranches, eliminate a needless public expenditure and make some money.

Come on, my governor, get real.

Evan Blythin

Blue Diamond

Dangerous activity

How much more harassment can the residents of Anthem, Inspirada and Seven Hills take from the Henderson Executive Airport?

In the 15 years or more that many of us have lived here, we’ve seen the airport expand commercially without bounds after Clark County decided to use this facility as a “reliever” airport. The latest fiasco — in the news lately due to an accident — involves allowing aerobatic stunt planes to use this airport as a base.

These planes aren’t normal private or commercial aircraft, nor are they being used in a way suitable for this airport environment. To fly these planes in and around the Henderson Executive Airport is very noisy, dangerous and totally disruptive to the neighborhoods in the area.

The Clark County Department of Aviation and the city of Henderson — which has allowed homes to be built within a few hundred feet of the runway — should immediately put a stop to this type of activity.

Ray Nowell

Henderson

Teamsters fight

In response to the May 1 commentary from James P. Hoffa regarding Clark County School District support workers:

Of course justice is denied because those in charge of the situation have done nothing to improve the current situation. But this is just the beginning of another problem that also needs to be addressed — namely, the teacher crisis. The so-called union, the Clark County Education Association, has done nothing for teachers. A 2¼ percent raise after eight years is absolutely ridiculous. The association does nothing for teachers, and any grievance a teacher has regarding supervision or work conditions is swept under the rug and the teacher is told not to make problems.

This June there will be at least 1,000 vacancies, as there are every year. Yet the district wants to build 17 schools over the next five years. If you lose 1,000 teachers every year, and require at least 50-60 teachers per school, how are you going to find all these teachers?

Low pay, no promotions, and a “take it or leave it” attitude has caused this situation. After everything is settled with the service personnel, guess who the Teamsters are going after?

Walter Goldstein

Henderson