Blind trust and our tax dollars

In response to your Sunday editorial on the state health exchange and its use of taxpayer dollars:

I find it disconcerting that exchange officials would say they “cannot be second-guessing [their] navigators as to the events they believe they should attend.” In light of numerous stories that have revealed gross abuse of our tax dollars — and even outright employee embezzlement at government agencies and other tax-funded organizations — the first priority should certainly be to focus on what employees are doing and how they are spending our dollars.

Blind trust without any follow-up or accountability is an exercise in negligence.

And by the way, I can think of far more venues amenable to locate self-employed women in an effort to prioritize their health issues than belly dance and lingerie events.

Annoula Wylderich

Las Vegas

Last laugh

In response to the Tuesday Review-Journal article about Clark County School District senior Johnathan Hampton, “Student to miss graduation by a point: “Gotta keep pushing’ ”:

I taught mathematics in the district for 35 years and watched the math exit exam go from fair and appropriate for our students to so inappropriate it bordered on insane for the majority of our students. Will passing this test make Mr. Hampton or any other district student facing this same problem a better person or citizen? Not only do I doubt it, I know it won’t.

I have watched good kids, good citizens, have their dreams shattered by this exam and it sickened me to the point I had to leave the teaching profession.

The only word of comfort I can give Johnathan and other math non-proficient students is to tell them that they are better than this test so do not let it keep you from your dreams. Get your high school diploma and keep your dreams. Your last laugh will be the best laugh.

Jim Hayes

Las Vegas

Stadium push

After reading in the Review-Journal the results of the May 26 Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee meeting, I have some questions.

First, kudos to Rob Goldstein, president and COO of Las Vegas Sands Corp., for recognizing the problems with building the stadium on the Tropicana/Koval site. Its proximity to two airport runways and the increased traffic flow near the airport could impact the number of tourists we would need to visit Las Vegas to help fund the stadium — not to mention its negative impact on Las Vegas residents struggling to get to the airport.

I also noticed that at Thursday’s meeting the money put up by the Oakland Raiders shrunk from $500 million (including a $300 million loan from the NFL) to $300 million (with only $200 million from the NFL). Since Raiders owner Mark Davis is one of the poorest NFL owners, what assurances are there that the NFL will give him a loan? Can he produce the remainder of the money he’s committed?

And how many uses are there for tourism revenue? Nearly every time our area needs funds for infrastructure enhancements or education, we hear the money will come from taxes on tourists. Now that money will also fund $750 million toward building another stadium?

Lynn Clayton

Las Vegas