Charities, churches doing much to help the poor

I read with sadness the letter from A.J. Amicucci in Saturday’s Review-Journal. I was saddened because he lumped all Christian communities together based on the behavior he apparently saw in one and thereby excluded most of those communities who are truly practicing what Jesus taught.

While I cannot speak for all churches in the valley, I know mine and many like us who receive food each week from our parishioners specifically for the hungry poor. Our community center, like many others, is open on a regular basis for homeless families through a program known as Family Promise. Many churches provide shelter for these families as they look for work in the area.

I was further saddened by his idea of taxing casinos and churches to support the poor. Yes it would be nice if every “religious” person helped someone in need, but many of those in need are also “religious” persons. I know of one person in our community who, being totally disabled on Social Security, still gives a portion — for him, a considerable portion — of his income to assist the poor. People like that do not give to impress others. They do not give to win the praise of others. They do it because it is their choice and belief that it is the right thing to do.

Many casinos donate food, bedding and other assistance to the poor of our community and receive little or no recognition for their good works. But they do it not for the praise but because it is the right thing to do. Yet these people then must hear others such as Ms. Amicucci criticize them and demand more of them.

There is a line from an old movie, “If you look for the good in people you will find it.” Look for the good and Merry Christmas.

Michael Dunegan

Las Vegas

Paid off

To the editor:

An ex-fire captain is found guilty of using the Internet to arrange a sexual encounter with a minor and is sent prison for 10 years, yet continues to receive a six-figure pension (Saturday Review-Journal)? And taxpayers get the bill for his incarceration?

Perhaps in cases like this, a portion of that huge pension should be deducted by the state for his prison term costs (more than we spend on educating a child). He breaks the law, gets a huge pension and taxpayers get stuck with the bill. What’s wrong with this picture?

Theresa Krause

Boulder City

Poker news

To the editor:

I have two comments to the letter writer/poker player who believes his letters helped convince Sen. Harry Reid to push online poker:

1. Remember to extinguish the fire before Santa comes down your chimney.

2. Let me know where you play online poker. I would love to play at your table.

Beverly King

Las Vegas

General welfare

To the editor:

Although letter-writer Frederick H. Spoerl acknowledges the Founding Fathers to be visionaries, he immediately dismisses the one document, the Constitution, that defines them as such (Friday Review-Journal). He argues that in order to serve the statist’s entitlement-expanding compulsions, the general welfare clause may be used to justify all intrusions of government into the affairs of the citizens. Little regard is given to the remainder of Section 1, Article 8 of the Constitution, which clearly defines the limits of the general welfare clause.

Where in the enumerated powers are listed entitlements such as Medicare, Social Security and ObamaCare? What are the limits of the general welfare clause as interpreted by the statist? In fact, there are no limits when promoting the statist agenda.

In the absence of limited government, only tyranny can prevail. Ask the citizens of Cuba and Venezuela and Zimbabwe and Myanmar and Iran.

Ken Mayer

Las Vegas

More money

To the editor:

Democrats and Republicans both say that under the tax deal Congress passed last week all working people will see more money in their pay checks in 2011. That’s fine, but what about people on Social Security? How come we won’t see more money on our checks? Don’t we count?

We also would spend more if we got a little more money.

Henry W. Hertel

Las Vegas

Big difference

To the editor:

I would like to enlighten Bill Wisniewski (letter, Dec. 20) on the difference between petroglyphs and graffiti.

Petroglyphs were used by ancient peoples as a source of information for travel and survival and information about things that happened at certain points. I personally have found water holes and pathways through bluffs by being able to interpret some of the rock art.

One rock art panel in Crystal Wash tells of a man and woman caught and killed in a flash flood in that wash. A panel north of White River Narrows tells of a group of people traveling there that came upon some of their enemies camped there. It took them three nights to slip past their enemies and continue on their journey up the White River valley.

There are many panels that I cannot interpret because I do not know the meaning of a lot of the symbols. The rock art is information and stories used by the ancient peoples. Graffiti is disfigurement of property by vandals

Marty Bush

Boulder City