Harry Reid’s ‘vast majority’ a myth
To the editor:
I read with much chagrin the quote in Wednesday’s Review-Journal from our senior senator, Harry Reid, the viscount of the No Deal Party. Sen. Reid is quoted as saying: “The American people are not impressed with no new revenue. The vast majority of Democrats, independents and Republicans think this arrangement … is unfair because the richest of the rich have contributed nothing. The burden of what is taking place is on the middle class and the poor.”
Well, for one thing, Sen. Reid never contacted me, an independent voter, to discover my opinion. In fact, my frequent contacts with Sen. Reid’s office are usually “boilerplate” responses not even pertinent to the topic I addressed. So I am untrustworthy of Sen. Reid’s assessment that “the vast majority of … “
In my local research regarding the debt compromise, my findings underlined that the majority of those I spoke to — Democrat, Republican and independent — were of firm opinion that raising taxes with the state the Obama economy is in would exacerbate the weakness and prove fatal to any rebound. In other words, no raise in or new taxes was the prime mantra of my small group.
So I have no clue from where Sen. Reid got his statistics. Apparently, he interviewed his fellow Democratic senators of the like opinion and threw everyone else into the mix.
Also, what burden is there on the poor? They don’t contribute anything, either, because they don’t get taxed. Why should they care? To include the poor in any equation regarding debt or taxes is inane.
I believe Sen. Reid needs to come back home to Nevada occasionally and get the pulse on the true feelings of the American electorate.
George Pucine
Las Vegas
Bad deal
To the editor:
Franklin Roosevelt called his deal the “New Deal.” This new deal passed by Congress will be known as the “No Deal.”
It’s goofy math. President Barack Obama gets more to spend, and there are some cuts to try to make up for it. The end game, at best, is a break even — certainly no net decrease in the debt, now or ever.
Furthermore, these “Dirty Dozen” members of Congress who will sit on the debt reduction committee have been given power that the Constitution puts squarely on the shoulders of all members of Congress. Saying that all proposals that these 12 agree to as part of budget reform must be immediately voted on, with no opportunity for discussion or filibuster, is illegal and unconstitutional.
The Constitution insists that every elected member of Congress has the right and obligation to argue his case against or for anything that is about to be made law. Giving such extreme power to just 12 members of Congress takes away all the representative power of duly elected members of Congress and representatives of the American people
David N. Viger Jr.
Henderson
It’s all free
To the editor:
As usual, the Review-Journal editors get hysterical when the government makes a requirement, such as the birth control mandate (Wednesday editorial). This would make insurance companies provide birth control to their clients with no co-payment.
While the editors bemoan the cost of this practice, maybe they should consider the alternative: that women become pregnant. What then?
Well, the women may choose to have an abortion, or worse for the insurance company’s bottom line, give birth to a child, with all the expenses that the insurance company would have to pay, at birth, and all through the growth years.
No, giving free birth control is a real savings for the insurance companies and their policy holders.
Richard J. Mundy
Las Vegas
Corporate greed
To the editor:
The greed and stupidity of the Republican, corporate-led tea party is contributing heavily to the tanking of the American stock market. Guess who will suffer the most. Yes, it will be middle-class America and their 401(k) plans.
When you listen to the Wall Street commentators, they always blame the foreign markets when stocks tank. Give me a break. We are the richest country and we are blaming foreign countries again?
Never do they mention that corporate America is to blame because they are a part of it.
The fiction portrayed by some of the Fox News fantasy members such as Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, etc., should prove to any sane-minded person that they are also a major part of that establishment. They preach deficit, but all their hard-line positions just create more deficits.
They also blame the market downfall on high unemployment. Their pledge of no tax increases on the rich is the main reason we have any financial crisis. This is a major contributing factor to high unemployment.
If the working man isn’t working and has no money to spend, what do you believe the outcome will be? Corporate America is so greedy and power hungry that they will do anything to wreck the economy while trying to win back the presidency.
Middle-class America needs to do what they do best and throw the bums out in the trash, just as they are doing in Wisconsin.
Don Ellis
Henderson
Free speech
To the editor:
In Thursday’s Review-Journal, both Joanne McMaster and V. Long wrote about the deteriorating atmosphere created by the smut peddlers, drunks and brawlers along the Strip. Both lament the loss of the days when visitors could leisurely stroll along and take in the sights without being harassed or in fear of the lives.
They are obviously “glass half-empty” pessimists.
Let’s be objective and rejoice in knowing the constitutional rights of the invaders are protected. The First Amendment’s protections are in use every day. All the time, money and effort by the ACLU to that cause has gotten results. Just wondering if Ms. McMaster and Ms. Long have heard from them lately.
God bless America.
William C. Dwyer
Las Vegas
