Let’s just mandate more bathrooms

You published yet another article full of drivel from the organization that thinks it is the people’s legislature, the ACLU (“Protecting transgender people,” Sunday commentary).

The ACLU’s Dane Claussen discusses the controversy over transgender people using the restrooms now in place in public buildings. I have a solution.

Let’s require public buildings to provide a third bathroom and affix a large blue and white question mark on it, similar to the symbols we currently have on present-day restrooms. This way, people who may be in crisis over their gender can use it.

And because the ACLU is so concerned about this absurd issue, I think they should finance it, starting with putting one in their own offices.

Ron Moers

Henderson

Bin Laden

To the editor:

The Review-Journal may find the killing of Osama bin Laden “a testament to American exceptionalism,” but I find it another example of government incompetence (May 3 editorial). Taking 10 years to kill this person is a bad joke.

It took so long because no one fears the United States, and we now fight politically correct wars. Pakistan sure didn’t fear us while they hid bin Laden in plain sight and collected our foreign aid.

Let’s not forget that government incompetence led to 9/11 in the first place. Osama bin Laden reportedly was offered to the Clinton administration when he was expelled from Sudan. The administration let him go to Afghanistan.

The part I don’t understand is that airplane hijackings had been going for more than 30 years. In the 1970s, it was not uncommon to have airplanes hijacked, flown all over the Middle East and the pilots killed.

Yet no one in government thought we should make stronger cockpit doors and secure them, while instructing the pilots not to give up the airplane?

Lastly, the Review-Journal underestimates the effects of bin Laden on our economy, and no one knows how this will end. It is reported bin Laden spent $500,000 carrying out the 9/11 attacks. The United States has spent abut $1.5 trillion carrying out the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. We overlook that bin Laden is partly responsible for the recession.

After the 9/11 attacks, the Federal Reserve lowered the interest rates to juice up the economy. The lower interest rates led to the housing bubble, the housing bubble led to the financial crisis and the financial crisis led to the recession.

The wars and recession have ballooned government debt, as well as caused the loss of untold trillions in American wealth. When 65 percent of polled Americans want no changes to Social Security or Medicare and 51 percent pay no income taxes, the stage is set for the collapse of the American economy under crushing debt.

Osama bin Laden may get his wish from the grave.

JOHN T. KEIBLER

LAS VEGAS

Health costs

To the editor:

In reference to the anticipated $20 per day Medicaid rate reduction that is currently being considered for skilled nursing facilities as part of the plan to balance the state budget:

As the largest long-term care, skilled nursing facility provider in the state of Nevada with just under 1,100 in-patient beds, my company is deeply concerned and troubled that this would be considered by those in authority, as Medicaid already underfunds our cost at roughly $18 to $21 per Medicaid patient. Additionally, a $16.43 reduction was already instituted effective March 1.

This situation reminds me of when the Balanced Budget Act was instituted in 1997. As a result of that legislation, skilled nursing home companies across the country filed bankruptcy, resulting in local closures of Washoe Care Center, Shadow Mountain Care Center and Fallon Care Center.

Once again, we are duty-bound to look at steps to remain solvent. Any additional reductions would be devastating and would result in at least the following: closure of two skilled-nursing facilities (at least 320 beds lost to the market); staff reduction plans; immediately ceasing to accept Medicaid patients from the acute setting; pursuing avenues of decertifying our skilled-nursing, facility-licensed beds from the Medicaid program.

It is my hope that these four steps can be prevented to ensure our seniors can receive appropriate access to health care. Additionally, I implore our elected officials to take the necessary steps to prevent such a reduction.

Darrin Cook

Las Vegas

The writer is regional vice president of Fundamental Clinical and Operational Services, which manages long-term care facilities and hospitals.

Both ways

To the editor:

Your two letters on Monday chided Thomas Mitchell for his Sunday column on green energy.

If these environmentalists would back off so we could build “green” transmission lines across the desert and windmills on every open piece of desert without lawsuits about turtles and open spaces, then green energy would make sense — not to mention be less expensive than currently projected.

But that won’t happen until the greens get on board and stop objecting to everything that they see as an eyesore.

Grow up. Live with it. You can’t have it both ways.

Art Clayton

Henderson