LETTERS: Long caucus lines a disservice to voters

On Saturday, my husband and I went to our assigned Democratic caucus site at Del Webb Middle School, arriving a few minutes before 11 a.m. The courtyard was crowded with people standing in a line that was already snaking around two U-turns. After finally finding the end of the line, we took our place. We stood in full sun for over 30 minutes without the line moving at all. There were quite a few other elderly people, all complaining about the conditions and wondering why the line was not moving.

We finally got to the point where our legs and backs would no longer hold up, and we decided to leave. Many in line were commenting, “Why don’t we have a primary instead of a caucus? This is too difficult for older people.”

Caucuses might have worked well when the population of this state was smaller, and they probably still work well in less-populated counties, but Clark County has grown to a point where caucuses are unwieldy. Elderly people cannot manage standing for a long time. I am 77, and this is the first time in my life I have missed having my vote counted. I felt cheated and disenfranchised.

It’s time to change this most important presidential caucus system to a primary in which all can participate. Every vote is important.

Sheila Sovocool

Henderson

ESA exit fee

As a 10-year Las Vegas resident, I continue to be confounded by our politicians. On one hand, it is claimed that Strip casino giants leaving NV Energy to buy power on the open market is so detrimental to the power provider that large exit fees are mandated by the Public Utilities Commission, in order to protect the ratepayers.

On the other hand, it is asserted that students exiting the public school system under the Education Savings Account program will not lead to diminished funding for remaining students. So, who is responsible for protecting the remaining students, and why shouldn’t the departing students face an exit fee?

Mark R. Cole

Las Vegas

Resort and parking fees

My jaw dropped when I read the article about MGM Resorts’ plan to charge for parking, especially CEO Jim Murren’s statement that MGM is spending the capital to build the amenities that benefit tourists and locals (“Murren: MGM not ‘tone deaf’ to reaction on ending free Strip parking,” Jan. 22 Review-Journal online. Since when are private businesses not building projects with a profit in mind?

Tourists already pay a resort fee. Who wants to pay to park to go to a Strip casino, only to lose your shirt gambling and face overpriced drinks and food? As for downtown’s pay-to-park system, that is why I no longer patronize those casinos.

Robert E. Pribila

Las Vegas

Palin and Trump

Listening to Sarah Palin’s rambling endorsement of Donald Trump at a rally last month was like 30 minutes of fingernails scraping on a blackboard. Standing behind her, “The Donald” also looked uncomfortable at times as Mrs. Palin rehashed many talking points from her failed vice presidential bid.

It wasn’t until she blamed President Barack Obama for her son’s recent domestic violence arrest that any of her rhetoric really caught my attention. How delicate her son’s psyche must be to have spent one year in Iraq during the George W. Bush administration, without seeing combat, and then last month allegedly punching his girlfriend because he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Phil Ventura

Las Vegas