Hiding behind the law to excuse racism?
To the editor:
There were six letters to the editor published in Wednesday’s Review-Journal. All six dealt with the subject of illegal immigration. I will do my own stereotyping and mention that every one of the last names indicated a nationality that would not be thought of as "minority."
And since all the writers thought that an illegal immigrant was breaking a "law," did they ever stop to think when that law was passed and by whom? Was it because those folks who voted to approve the law wanted to close the gate after they arrived and passed it for selfish reasons – or for other reasons?
While I am not advocating that the "law" be changed to allow open borders, I do wonder how many people are hiding behind the law to excuse their racism. And believe me, I have encountered people who are blatantly racist.
And since I have given myself the license to stereotype, do most racists think that because they are white, they are superior?
And to enforce my curiosity, there are some examples in our country of an action becoming illegal because a new law was passed after the fact. Hence, the opposite of illegal was once legal.
Just a thought.
Esmael E. Candelaria
Henderson
An invasion
To the editor:
In regard to the classification of people who enter another country without permission, the answer is clear: They are not immigrants.
Immigration is a process in which people apply for and receive permission (visas) to live in someone else’s country. When 15 million to 16 million people cross the border into their neighbor’s land, that is an invasion.
Hans Bohn
Las Vegas
Education funding
To the editor:
I am sure that the recent report of the school district’s financial problems will once again be put onto the backs of teachers and the "union" – although for some unknown reason many media observers cannot get through their heads that a teacher association is far different from a teacher union, like an apple is to an orange.
First, kudos to Ruben Murillo, president of the Clark County Education Association, and whoever is behind him finally standing up for teachers, something not seen in decades. Nevada has never shown a sincere interest in supporting education and even in the heyday of the past supported public education only in the median range in comparison to all other states.
Whatever fire was lit to move the association to show backbone and protect teachers from further insult is a refreshing change to its spineless days. What little teachers now have needs to be protected.
So when the barrage of letters starts flowing condemning teachers for finally having someone represent them in defiance of the state’s dismal funding of public education, please take a moment to reflect that this is something an organization that represents highly educated professionals is suppose to do.
The problems lay with state funding, not with what teachers should have been getting a long, long, long time ago. Put the blame where it belongs.
Jim Hayes
Las Vegas
The writer is retired after 35 years with the Clark County School District.
System broken
To the editor:
Brad Stried’s analysis in his Thursday letter goes a long way in explaining the reason for the Social Security problem.
Much like Mr. Stried, the numbers show I will get back every dollar I put into Social Security in just a few years. Living 20 or 30 years after retirement means a payout of 5 to 10 times my contributions.
This kind of payback – combined with the onslaught of baby boomer retirees – makes the current system unsustainable.
Contrary to the politicians’ claims that the system is solvent when the trust fund is actually empty, the system is already running $100 billion deficits.
I don’t know what combination of changes need to be enacted, but officials in Washington must take their heads out of the sand.
Tom Keller
Henderson
Use the old lot
To the editor:
Earlier this week, Ray Downing wrote a letter to the editor about the need for a cellphone lot at McCarran International Airport, given that many other airports have one. I think the parking lot in front of Terminal 2 could be used for this purpose now that the terminal has closed. The cost would be relatively low, as the airport would need only to purchase and install a few "cellphone lot" signs.
The parking lot is already paved, striped and unused.
Kent Delaney
Las Vegas
Congressional pay
To the editor:
Sen. Dean Heller has proposed that if members of both political parties in the U.S. Congress don’t have the time to do their job, they don’t deserve to get paid.
In my opinion, that it’s the best political message I have heard in my lifetime.
Members of Congress get substantial annual salary increases regardless of our federal deficit and the Consumer Price Index – which is applied to calculate the benefits given Social Security retirees and American workers who struggle to survive with the high cost of living.
Since 1970, when the U.S. dollar was removed from the "gold standard," our Congress has passed only the best laws money can buy, promoting an uncontrolled capitalism, greed and speculation, and the inequality we have today in the land of opportunity.
Members of our Congress are legally and morally responsible for the economic catastrophe and unemployment we have today that is now beyond repair – regardless who is the next president of the United States.
Gerard A. Sanchez Sr.
Las Vegas