The nation has become a cauldron of divisiveness

What has happened to this country? It certainly is not the same country in which I grew up.

Smoking tobacco is detrimental to your health and everyone around you. Yet smoking marijuana is fine for everyone. Proponents of legalization claim they can keep recreational marijuana away from teenagers. Yet we cannot keep alcohol away from underage teens.

Legal execution for murderers is cruel, uncivilized and barbaric. Yet the execution of innocent unborn children (legal abortion) is socially acceptable.

We have a non-functioning federal government and no one does anything about it. Career politicians pass laws according to what they want, not for the good of the voters. The federal government chooses not to enforce laws (immigration) and persecutes an Arizona sheriff for enforcing the same laws.

Members of every minority group, no matter how small, have laws to protect their “rights,” yet majority rights are ignored. We are expected to respect and tolerate the customs and traditions of any and every ethnic and racial minority, but they are not expected to reciprocate.

I predict that in 50 years this country will no longer exist because we are no longer a “melting pot.” We are fragmented into little groups jealously guarding our turf.

Thank goodness I won’t be around to see it.

Joseph Grabowski

Las Vegas

Students second

Only in the bubble-land of Uniontopia would it make sense to be brazen enough to complain to the taxpayers of Clark County about not being paid more for unused sick leave. Former teacher Joanna Boyd’s recent letter in response to a Review-Journal article regarding sick pay abuses would be funny if it weren’t so sad.

Ms. Boyd laments that “all of her fellow teachers” teased her about being so much of a dunce as to not take sick leave when she wasn’t, you know, actually sick. She was “upset” and “deflated” when she was paid only $6 a day for unused leave.

I personally don’t know why she was paid anything at all.

Maybe if more teachers showed up and did the job they’re paid to do, some of the students might be inspired to work a little harder. Sadly, however, Ms. Boyd and her colleagues have made their priorities all too clear: teachers first, students second.

Bill Bingham

Las Vegas

Money grubbers

In response to the July 19 story, “TitleMax, state spar at hearing”:

The half-witted “consumer protection” law that requires vehicle title loans to be paid back within 210 days unless no further costs are assessed to the borrower during the extension period was easily circumvented by TitleMax. It simply charged all the excessive interest and “costs” to the borrower up front and then starting principal payments only after the 210 days passed.

The defense offered by company officials is that the law is vague and they innocently thought the front-loading was permissible.

Why bother with all this ridiculousness? Whatever happened to good old-fashioned usury laws? Wouldn’t it be nice to just blanket-rate these money-grubbing bottom feeders out of business?

Cynthia Gordon

Las Vegas

Withholding support

Regarding Dave Mesker’s July 19 letter lamenting that Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and GOP members of our congressional delegation skipped the Republican convention:

Why should anyone have to support or promote another person whose behavior and policies he/she cannot identify with or stand by?

I am sure the individuals — in this case Nevada elected officials — have considered the consequences and are willing to pay for or be awarded for their convictions.

Helga Lott

Las Vegas