State senator a poster boy for term limits
To the editor:
Regarding Jane Ann Morrison’s Thursday column: What a swan song for state Sen. “Midnight” Mike Schneider. His performance as chairman of the Commerce, Labor and Energy Committee regarding the handling of Assembly Bill 416 was right out of the Harry Reid-Nancy Pelosi playbook. He made them proud.
As Sen. Mike rides into the sunset, I would like to offer three Irish toasts:
– May the air in your tires never leak out.
— May the citizens of Nevada never know how much we are paying for energy,
– We thank you for being the poster boy for term limits.
EDWARD R. DUFFY
LAS VEGAS
Bad sausage
To the editor:
Is it just me, or did the latest Nevada three-ring circus — er, I mean the recently closed legislative session — leave more than just a bad taste in one’s mouth?
The cherry on the Legislature’s hot crap sundae is Assembly Bill 416. The amendments to this bill that were slipped in during the last hour of the legislative session actually allow NV Energy to build a transmission line to California so they can sell electricity to the Golden State — and then open the door for the company to shift the $1 billion cost of constructing such a line onto the citizens of Nevada.
Echoing Patricia Van Betten’s Friday letter to the editor, I must also ask: Why do we have elections?
We have Republicans in office who would rather sacrifice our future than pay a cent more in taxes, and Democrats who claim to be the voice of the people but then turn around and pass a disdainful piece of legislation such as AB416.
Richard Kevin Salas
Las Vegas
Insurance mandate
To the editor:
In her Tuesday letter, Sharon Kerber essentially stated that ObamaCare’s health insurance mandate is constitutional because it is similar to the requirement to purchase car insurance. But there are several important differences between the mandatory purchase of third-party vehicle liability insurance and ObamaCare’s health insurance mandate.
First, third-party vehicle liability insurance is mandatory because it ensures that if you injure someone or damage property with your vehicle, the victim will be adequately compensated. The individual health insurance mandate is not third-party liability insurance, but rather first-party expense insurance. It is doubtful that anyone would support mandating the purchase of first-party expense insurance for vehicles, but this is essentially what ObamaCare does for health care.
Second, purchasing third-party liability insurance is required only if one chooses to purchase and drive a vehicle, which is an optional lifestyle choice. ObamaCare’s mandate, however, is mandatory for everyone.
Third, vehicle insurance is rightly handled by the states. ObamaCare is a massive transfer of power from the states to the federal government, and is unconstitutional on this basis alone.
Alex Strabala
Las Vegas
