Democrats set a familiar trap for GOP
To the editor:
In response to your Friday story, “Obama seeks tax hike now, vows cuts later”:
This is the same trap that the Democrats set for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Democrats wanted tax increases and got them, promising to make cuts in the future. We are still waiting.
If the Republicans fall for this trap this year, they deserve what they get.
JOHN DOOLEY
HENDERSON
War of extermination
To the editor:
Patrick Buchanan’s gross misstatement of the facts in the Middle East cannot go unchallenged (“U.S. should stay out of Middle East crisis,” Wednesday commentary). His assertion that because the United States “talked” with Stalin, Khrushchev and Mao, we should have no problem “talking” to Hamas, is ludicrous and compares apples to oranges.
As I recall, rockets were not raining down on Texas, California or New York state while we “talked” to the communists. We were in a Cold War with them, not a hot one. They recognized our right to exist; Hamas threatens to wipe out the Jewish state and to drive the Jews into the sea.
As for the suggestion that Israelis are “ethnically cleansing” the state of Arabs, that’s blood libel. Arabs in Israel have the same rights as everyone else. Yes, Arabs may face some form of discrimination, but show me a nation that harbors none against one group or another. Why is it that Mr. Buchanan takes Israel to task because some fringe element in Israeli society wants all Arabs evicted from Israel, but he is silent about Jews being barred from nearly every Muslim or Arab country on Earth? That’s not worthy of discussion?
I have long looked upon Mr. Buchanan as a latent anti-Semite, and he has yet to prove me wrong.
JERRY FINK
LAS VEGAS
Social responsibility
To the editor:
Barbara Simms’ Thursday letter in response to Vestar Development’s planned opening of The District’s pedestrian mall to vehicular traffic was to the point, but way too gentle.
On Vestar’s website, under “About Us,” is the “Core Value” of “Social Responsibility.” The company states, “Our commitment to improving our community goes beyond brick and mortar.” Proof of this commitment came shortly after they acquired The District. They dismantled the unique carousel, probably to offset the purchase price for The District. This speaks of only one commitment: corporate greed. Had there truly been a commitment to the community, they could have easily found a way to keep this iconic and special feature of The District. Instead of offering free rides, they could have started charging for them. But no, the short-term view was way too profitable: dismantle and sell.
Maybe they’re talking about the community where the company’s officers live, not Henderson.
The social value of a traffic-free District cannot be underestimated. It helps define what Henderson is and why so many people want to live here. Why doesn’t this caring company show its “Social Responsibility” in the communities where its board members live? And if the Henderson Planning Commission grants its wish, then the commissioners are no different. As a matter of fact, they might have planted the first shovel full of community decline.
Jan R. Steinwald
Henderson
Voter photo ID
To the editor:
It was interesting to read in the Sunday Review-Journal editorial “Voter photo ID” that Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller got his idea for voter photo identification legislation from the state of Minnesota.
Perhaps if the Minnesota Legislature would have passed this legislation, Al Franken would not have been elected to the U.S. Senate, and we wouldn’t be faced with ObamaCare.
James F. Camburn
Las Vegas
