Does Berkley think we’re all dumb as hammers?

After reading Rep. Shelley Berkley’s commentary in Monday’s Review-Journal, we need to start a campaign to place her picture in the dictionary next to the word “politician” (sorry, Harry Reid). In her screed, she insinuates that Republicans want do everything from kicking seniors to the curb to exploiting the middle class for personal gain.

A quick review of Rep. Berkley’s 2011 congressional financial disclosure statements, however, reveal that she must believe Nevada voters are dumber than a bag of hammers.

Kicking seniors to the curb? Ms. Berkley and her physician husband own more than a dozen companies whose earnings are directly dependent to a large degree upon the presently unsustainable Medicare system. Is she really looking out for seniors, or for her husband and herself?

Pushing jobs overseas? How does her stake in the Euro-Pacific Fund help American jobs? A real champion of the middle class.

Then there is her self-righteous railing against Big Oil and the lack of support for wind, solar and geothermal energy. According to Rep. Berkley’s disclosure statement, she owns stakes in Anadarko Petroleum, Chenierie Energy, Helix Energy Solutions (an off-shore drilling company), Brietburn Energy Partners (an oil and gas pipeline company), Venoco Inc., (a Venezuelan oil company), Brigham Exploration (an independent oil and gas company) and Chesapeake Energy Corp. (the second-largest national gas company in the United States).

In addition, she has stakes in companies that support mining, oil and gas exploration and bulk transportation for coal.

To top it off, she also holds a stake in Bank of America!

But the real cherry for someone who is railing against the alleged exploitation of the citizenry is her holding 34,000 shares in Rick’s Cabaret International, a purveyor of “gentleman’s clubs.” Strip clubs? Who’s exploiting whom?

Mark Morris

Las Vegas

UMC woes

To the editor:

Jeffrey Fontaine’s Saturday letter to the editor headlined “Indigent fund” conveniently ignores the fact that a huge portion of University Medical Center’s $72 million shortfall is caused by nonpaying illegal aliens. For example, illegal aliens receiving dialysis treatments cost the taxpayers more than $24 million per year. Add to this approximately $15 million in maternity services and $5 million to $8 million in other free services, and you’re addressing the majority of UMC’s financial woes.

Of course, these omissions are understandable given that Mr. Fontaine represents the Nevada Association of Counties, which is owned, organized and operated by Nevada’s county governments. As such, Mr. Fontaine’s solution is soaking the taxpayer for more money rather than addressing the elephant in the hospital: the high percentage of illegal aliens who are part of the indigent category.

Our county commissioners should be ashamed for refusing to acknowledge this massive problem at the expense of the taxpayers who put them in office.

John J. Erlanger

Las Vegas

Look inward

To the editor:

Ask someone to say who is responsible for America’s financial mess, and they may blame the president, past presidents or greedy stock brokers on Wall Street. Or they may say something different. But most people will not accept any of the blame themselves.

Even those in economic ruin because they spent beyond their means would still find an excuse as to why it wasn’t their fault.

This highlights one of the problems that plagues our society — a lack of accountability. We have moved away from taking responsibility for mistakes and learning a lesson. Instead, we blame others and seek reassurance that it wasn’t our fault. This lack of accountability often results in a lack of motivation because success is expected, not earned.

We have it ingrained in us at an early age that life is supposed to be fair. If a child has a box of cookies, he needs to share with the kids who don’t — and everyone in Little League gets a trophy because they are all “winners.” Life simply does not work that way.

It is time that we teach our kids and even ourselves how to acknowledge our mistakes and learn and grow from them. We need to make people realize that we can’t all be winners. While this may cause some to get discouraged and give up, I believe it will bring others to take accountability and do their very best to succeed. When you eliminate accountability, you eliminate motivation.

Dallen Olcott

Cedar City, Utah

Apartment living

To the editor:

The plan to build a rental apartment complex in Green Valley near The District is not in the best interest of that community (Review-Journal, Monday). Apartment houses do not add to a community, they detract from it.

All the things the community is concerned about will happen if the Henderson Planning Commission grants the zoning amendment and the Henderson City Council concurs.

Green Valley will experience additional stress on schools due to even more overcrowding; transients will be introduced into the area, bringing additional social problems; Section 8 recipients will be invited to pick up the slack when the building is not fully occupied, which will put the community at higher risk for drug and gang activity; traffic and parking problems will occur; and property values will be severely impacted.

The Henderson City Council needs to listen to what the people in the community want for their community. A more acceptable project for that land needs to be explored.

Michele Winsten

Las Vegas