On solar power plant, Reid doing his job
To the editor:
It is astonishing to me that there never seems to be any limit to the levels of hypocrisy some people will ascend in order to score political points. Especially when it could rob our state of economic development that will produce thousands of well-paying jobs.
A case in point are the unhinged criticisms being leveled at Sen. Harry Reid for his (gasp!) efforts to secure a commitment from ENN Mojave Energy Corp. to build a solar panel manufacturing plant in Southern Nevada – a project that would create roughly 2,000 permanent jobs and 3,000 construction jobs over a four-year period. Today, the unemployment rate among Nevada’s construction workforce is 60 percent. With numbers like that, one would think that Sen. Reid would be receiving support and encouragement for his efforts.
But, astonishingly, Sen. Reid has become a target of disdain. And this is where the hypocrisy comes into play. Sen. Reid is doing only what many of his conservative colleagues in the Senate have done many times.
Did anyone criticize Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee for working diligently with his state to lure a Volkswagen manufacturing plant to Chattanooga? Did anyone raise a ruckus when South Carolina’s two Republican senators, Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham, played an active role in enticing BMW to build a plant in the Palmetto State, or to convince Boeing to build a plant there? And did anyone make a peep when Republican Sen. Richard Shelby worked behind the scenes to get Mercedes Benz to build a manufacturing facility in Alabama?
In fact, those senators were lauded for their efforts. But when a Democratic senator such as Harry Reid attempts to do the exact same thing, he apparently becomes a villain.
When ideological zealots become so consumed by their blood-lust to destroy members of the other party that they are willing to risk the collapse of a major economic development deal, it’s no wonder that more and more people are becoming so turned off by politics.
Sen. Reid is doing his job. And we should all be thankful for that. End of story.
Darren Enns
Henderson
The writer is secretary-treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council.
Bully tactics
To the editor:
Why does Sen. Harry Reid continue to push expensive alternative energy? He is working with a Chinese company on a solar power project and is trying to intimidate NV Energy into signing a long-term contract to buy that “green” power, which many low-income and senior Nevadans cannot afford.
NV Energy is already contracted to buy so much expensive alternative energy that most low-income citizens of Nevada are already making choices between groceries and air conditioning. I thought the Democrats represented low-income and middle-class populations. How is green energy helping either of these constituencies?
I’m tired of Sen. Reid and his bully tactics. It’s time for Sen. Reid to represent the people of Nevada, not big Chinese solar companies. You have to ask yourself: If this is hurting Nevadans, what is Harry Reid getting out of it?
Skip Blough
North Las Vegas
Poll fraud
To the editor:
In Saturday’s letters to the editor, Paul Carman posits that voter fraud is virtually nonexistent; hence there is no need for voter photo ID. As proof, he cites that the U.S. Justice Department failed to prosecute a single case of a voter impersonating someone else between 2002 and 2007.
There are two reasons for this. First, the easiest route to voter fraud is not to say you are someone else at the polls, but rather to provide false information during registration. Second, voter registration laws are dictated by the states. For example, the recent case against ACORN was prosecuted by the Nevada attorney general’s office. Most states have very lax requirements for voter registration.
In my 14 years in Clark County, there have been several cases of close elections in which likely registration fraud was uncovered. In 2011, a North Las Vegas election was decided by one vote – it was later found that at least one vote cast for the winner was highly suspicious. Said voter registered in a city where he was not a resident.
Even though falsification of registration forms is regarded as perjury, many people who are caught falsifying forms are not prosecuted. In 2002, a tavern owner falsely registered more than 60 people, listing many false residences in North Las Vegas. The man was prosecuted (and given a light sentence five years later), but the individuals were not.
In the current system, it is virtually impossible to detect voter fraud at the polls. In many states, your signature is the only “identification” demanded at the voting site. If one registers fraudulently, the signatures will match, and there will be absolutely no test. My signature has changed greatly in 14 years and has never been challenged.
I, too, believe the voter fraud problem is overstated. But to say that it does not exist is akin to claiming that bacteria do not exist because we can’t see them – while at the same time, we make it illegal to use a microscope to look for bacteria. We need to stop the partisan bickering and find ways to make it much easier for people to obtain positive ID.
Harlan Stockman
Las Vegas
Hollywood left
To the editor:
Doug Elfman’s July 30 column provided a mile-long list of Hollywood notables who openly support the re-election of President Barack Obama. The list of entertainers who support Mitt Romney is almost nothing, after removing the country music artists and the Mormons.
It is puzzling that Hollywood is so committed to the political left, considering that the entertainment industry is such a beacon of capitalism. It is fiercely competitive and cutthroat, and there is nothing in the industry that even resembles a safety net.
Furthermore, is there any greater example of how “trickle-down economics” works to perfection? It has the billionaire producers, the multimillionaire stars and directors, and so on down to the cast, crew and extras.
These left-leaning entertainers need to stop biting the hand that feeds them.
Mike Mathews
Las Vegas
