Obama photo-op a public inconvenience
To the editor:
I have difficulty understanding why President Obama used a motorcade instead of a helicopter to travel between McCarran International Airport and Boulder City for his Wednesday visit to Sempra Energy’s Copper Mountain Solar One project.
As one of the thousands of automotive travelers who had to wait on the president’s motorcade, I could not help but think of the waste of taxpayer money as dozens of law enforcement personnel were preoccupied blocking and securing the road instead of policing our streets. Using a helicopter would have been quicker, and it would have enabled the president to fly over our thousands of foreclosed homes, rather than speed by on our highways to get to his made-for-election, political photo-op solar energy event.
The public and the police would have been less inconvenienced, and he would have been able to get on his way to New Mexico that much quicker, while still getting his campaign photograph.
Douglas Bell
Las Vegas
Jet-setter
To the editor:
For someone who consistently decries the use of fossil fuels, President Barack Obama certainly uses more than his fair share.
He also is known to disparage private or corporate jets. Well, does anyone know how much fuel he uses and how many miles he travels in the name of “White House business” on the world’s most expensive private jet?
Not to mention his wife’s little trips or the limos — and the traffic snarls he causes.
David Squier Sr.
Pahrump
Free stuff
To the editor:
Republicans keep telling women that they’re not at war with their reproductive rights. But can women be sure when they keep hearing ricochet bullets whizzing past their heads? It’s no military secret that Republicans want to prevent women from getting an abortion. In red state after red state, GOP legislators try everything imaginable to prevent or delay this right.
Then there’s the birth control coverage controversy. President Obama said religious institutions didn’t have to provide birth control coverage, but their insurance companies had to. Ignoring the rights of the women involved, Republicans said that many Catholic hospitals and colleges are self-insured. So to protect the First Amendment rights of these entities, they reasoned that all women employees would be denied this coverage.
The GOP’s Mitt Romney was asked by a woman Tuesday whether women should get free birth control. His response was that if you want free stuff, you should vote for the other guy. I think that women — and we men who love them — should follow his suggestion.
Richard J. Mundy
Las Vegas
Setting sail
To the editor:
As I watch President Obama talk about the Republicans holding back “progress” by focusing on oil and gas drilling as opposed to his plan of putting most of our eggs in his solar/wind/battery basket, I have to wonder what would have happened had King Obama been heading the Spanish court that was in charge of Columbus’ voyage.
First, because it was a government contract, all the sailors would have had to be union members and work only six hours a day with four breaks plus lunch.
Second, the use of wind to push the sails would have been approved, but King Obama would have mandated the harnessing of dolphins to provide power if that wind stopped blowing — no rowing allowed.
Third, an extensive examination of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria would have to be undertaken to determine whether the ships were safe for travel and worthy of the union members aboard.
Finally, an exhaustive report regarding the environmental impact of landing on a foreign land would have to be completed by the Spanish EPA.
My guess? After three to four years of completing these studies and working with the various agencies, the whole idea would have been scrapped around 1496 and the ships never would have left the dock. That is the kind of “progress” we have dealt with during the past three years, with businesses dry-docked by overreaching regulatory bodies and bureaucrats killing off ideas. We need to set sail in a new direction.
Joe Schillmoeller
Las Vegas
Snake oil
To the editor:
I find it interesting that President Obama claims that oil production in the United States actually is up under his administration. That may be true for production on private land, but it is his administration that shut down oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico after the BP spill. Those drilling rigs have moved on to foreign markets.
And it is the Obama administration that has denied drilling permits on the most promising federal lands.
And it is the Obama administration that has denied construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have created thousands of jobs in the United States.
As I watch gasoline prices more than double under his watch, I think the president may need a reminder:
Mr. President, when talking oil production, snake oil doesn’t count.
Robert R. Kessler
Las Vegas
Comic strip
To the editor:
I very rarely agree with the Review-Journal’s political leanings (OK, never). I do, however, respect the newspaper’s right to espouse sometimes misguided opinions. I am pleased to note, though, that you chose to run the “Doonesbury” comic series on abortion rather than pull it, as did many newspapers across the country.
It seems to me that the “Doonesbury” story line last week was anathema to the Review-Journal’s editorial policy. So, kudos to the newspaper — at least this time.
Jim Graham
Las Vegas
