Make green energy compete without subsidies

I’ve always said that as soon as Sen. Harry Reid opens his mouth he’s about to stretch the truth (“Nevada’s future depends on renewable energy,” April 19 commentary). Nevada’s future certainly does not depend on renewable energy — unless mining, tourism, gaming, agriculture and manufacturing are all just about to pack it in, which, of course, they aren’t.

Sen. Reid says clean energy projects in Nevada have created tens of thousands of jobs and generated hundreds of millions in tax revenue. I would appreciate his comments more if he cited the audited or independent sources of these “facts.”

Because it takes few people to run those energy projects, the vast majority of the employment has been construction related. Perhaps it is likely that employment claims count many of the same workers over and over as they move from one construction job to another.

It would also be interesting for Sen Reid to reveal how many hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars subsidized the projects he lists. This offsets the benefits of the “hundreds of millions in tax revenue” he touts.

By they way, I fully support the development of renewable energy. But I don’t support taxpayer subsidies for that business — or any other.

Troy Pyles

St. George, Utah

Immigration pardon

Contrary to the statements in your April 23 editorial on the immigration issue before the U.S. Supreme Court, President Obama did not unilaterally alter the laws on immigration. He exercised his power under Article 2, Section 2 of the Constitution, which provides the president “shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States.” The Constitution does not specify any limitations on the power of the president to pardon.

Indeed, on Dec. 25, 1868, President Andrew Johnson pardoned millions of Confederates by declaring that he gave “a full pardon and amnesty for the offense of treason against the United States or of adhering to their enemies during the late civil war, with restoration of all rights, privileges, and immunity’s under the Constitution.” If President Johnson had the power to pardon people who had committed treason, an offense for which the penalty was execution, President Obama can certainly pardon people for entering the country illegally.

It might be argued that President Obama did not grant an official pardon. The power to grant a reprieve, however, is co-extensive with the power to pardon.

The president, acting through the attorney general, also has the power to exercise prosecutorial discretion and decide not to pursue a whole class of offenders.

Many state and local law enforcement agencies have done this in deciding not to arrest or prosecute drug users but instead to focus their efforts on arresting and prosecuting drug dealers.When they do that, they are not unilaterally altering the laws, they are simply exercising the authority they have to choose which violators to pursue.

President Obama made a decision not to arrest and deport people who entered the country illegally but have not committed any other crimes. That is within his discretion.

Steve Demaree

Las Vegas

UNLV’s need

The Rolling Stones had it right: “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime you find you get what you need.” Based on what I’ve read — thank you, Ed Graney, for your excellent columns — I think the third time is the charm for UNLV as embodied by new basketball coach Marvin Menzies.

Forget Mick Cronin, who used UNLV to arm wrestle better terms with Cincinnati. Forget Chris Beard, who turned the Running Rebel job into running away from the Rebels in less than a week. Let’s embrace coach Menzies who said all the right things and seems to have all the right stuff to take our basketball team back into the spotlight where it belongs.

Welcome to Las Vegas, coach. Long may you reign.

Christine Gillette

Las Vegas