Aggressive handbillers hide behind ‘free speech’

To the editor:

In response to the Review-Journal’s Monday editorial on handbillers:

Forget all the gibberish such as modifying codes, agreements, etc. Why is conducting business in the middle of a sidewalk a free speech issue in the first place?

Vincent Bartolo of Hillsboro Entertainment is right about one thing: Not many people like his business. But whether we like his business or not is not the issue. People don’t want his employees blocking the sidewalks to shove his smut down our collective throats.

No person or company should be allowed to conduct business on a public sidewalk. Period!

If Mr. Bartolo “wants to be a good neighbor,” why doesn’t he find another way to advertise, such as buying a billboard, space in the newspaper, time on TV or renting a building on the Strip?

Perhaps Allen Lichtenstein and the ACLU could make those suggestions to him.

Ron Moers

Henderson

No spending cuts

To the editor:

In his Thursday letter, Mark Traeger uses the same mistaken logic that all tax-cutting conservatives use. He points out examples of government waste and then proposes cutting government funding (taxes) to cure the problem. He assumes that if we cut government revenue, those cuts will take place in the areas that have the most waste and duplication. Unfortunately, he is wrong.

Let me give an example: I recently had to transfer utilities at a North Las Vegas property. The gas and electricity transfers went smoothly. The companies that provide them are not government agencies. However, in trying to transfer the water, which is the purview of a government agency, I had to wait on the phone for nearly an hour to talk to someone.

This is an obvious example of a government agency that was short on funding, so administrators found the easiest solution was to decrease the number of people answering the phones. I’m sure there are other areas where staffing and/or funding could have been cut, but the department chose to cut staffing in an area that would most punish the public.

That is the way government works.

So I might suggest to Mr. Traeger, if he is concerned about government waste and duplication, that he should petition his legislators to correct the mistakes rather than cut government revenues. Because cutting revenue only creates more unintended problems.

Rick Tope

Las Vegas

Not fair

To the editor:

I think it’s time for Bishop Gorman High School to go the way of Findlay Prep and compete in sports against other semi-professional high school teams.

Bishop Gorman’s ability to get players of choice far outweighs any public school’s ability to develop home-grown talent. It is no longer even remotely fair.

Duane Mattox

Las Vegas

Commend Gorman

To the editor:

Folks were complaining about Bishop Gorman High School even when it went 14 years without making the state football playoffs and could not win its division. Before it even had a home field and used to play at Valley, and when its soccer team practiced at Fremont Middle School. They complained about Bishop Gorman when its freshman football team lost 112-6 to Cheyenne High School in 1999.

People will love to hate, especially when it’s easy to just say, “They’re private, so they recruit,” even when they’re not remotely successful.

I didn’t hear any similar rants when Palo Verde High School’s football won the Northwest division seven years running. High and mighty Bishop Gorman was humbled by Palo Verde 50-14 just three years ago.

Las Vegas High School has beaten Rancho High 15 years in a row now in football. Should Rancho forfeit?

People ranted when the Bishop Gorman girls won state basketball titles three years in a row, but nobody cries foul when the Centennial girls win four in a row and six of 10. The NIAA passed a mercy running clock rule for basketball primarily because of Centennial’s dominance, winning most league and local games by an average margin of almost 60 points.

Cimarron-Memorial (five) and Las Vegas (four) have won all but one state wrestling championship in the past decade.

What do all these schools have in common? They have successful programs, not “teams.” They have very devoted coaches who have the support of their administration and community and have built great programs that talented student-athletes flock to. All of them, including Bishop Gorman, should be commended for what they’ve been able to accomplish.

Paul Seven

Las Vegas

Adult supervision

To the editor:

Tuesday’s Review-Journal editorial regarding binding arbitration was right on the mark. Government leaders use binding arbitration with public-sector unions because they have no skin in the game, and they’re too lazy to do the hard work in negotiating fair contracts.

We elect local leaders to watch and efficiently spend our hard-earned tax dollars. If they were held accountable for their fiscal performance you would never see binding arbitration in public-sector contracts.

It’s time to open public education to competition to get maximum value for our tax dollars, and more importantly the highest quality education for our kids. We need leaders with some skin in the game. The National Education Association is more concerned with breaking the public bank than educating our kids.

I’m asking: Where are the adults in this process?

Skip Blough

North Las Vegas