Trump better than corrupt government

In response to John L. Smith’s latest anti-Donald Trump diatribe (“Thanks to Cleveland, the Republican circus won’t be in town,” Tuesday Review-Journal), maybe I can shed some light on Mr. Trumps meteoric success. It has everything to do with government corruption and expensive failed social policies.

The Nevada Legislature has determined it does not need to comply with open records laws, and that they intend to keep their deliberations and emails secret from those they serve (“State Legislature fails to practice what it passes,” Monday Review-Journal). The Clark County District Attorney is apparently declining to pursue a battery charge against the wife of a Supreme Court Justice (“Justice’s wife attacked man after wreck,” March 11 Review-Journal). Anyone else would have been jailed.

More than 85 percent of Nevada’s land is owned by the federal government, whose employees are unelected and locally unaccountable, but still feel the need to dictate what Nevadans do and where we go in most of our state. Officials in other states are actively fighting encroaching federal control, Nevada officials are leaving that job to the Bundy family.

Regarding the Supreme Court vacancy, Harry Reid and fellow Senate Democrats should be awarded the Hypocrisy of The Year Award for demanding that Senate Republicans do exactly what Democrats previously declined to do. Can you say “Borked”?

Political correctness has run amok to the point where our latest generations are so offended by micro-aggressions that they need a safe space to recover. Political activists claim that actions and speeches by Mr. Trump force them to illegally disrupt his political rallies, without mentioning the role of personal responsibility for their actions.

Mr. Trump is a breath of fresh air for many, because he is an outsider and not politically correct. He might be abrasive and far from perfect, but for many of us, he can do no worse than what we have now.

Brian Covey

Las Vegas

Ridiculous election

In my 74 years, I don’t think there has ever been a more ridiculous election season. Presidential candidates of both major parties say they will fix America’s problems, when in fact they all are part of the problem. Those in Congress and governors are more powerful than the president, who is actually a figurehead, except when he uses executive orders.

As for Donald Trump, anyone familiar with the 1930s is seeing a serious replay. Most of what Mr. Trump says and his followers do looks exactly like 1932-34 Germany. Citizens beware, no matter who is elected president.

Terry Stolz

Las Vegas

Exxon’s bully pulpit

Regarding the editorial on ExxonMobile coming under Department of Justice and FBI investigation, I appreciated that the RJ dealt with the issue, and I loved the headline (“The bully pulpit of climate change,” Monday Review-Journal). The editorial is right in this sense: this case involves tons of ambiguity.

Did Exxon’s scientists determine conclusively that fossil fuels cause climate change, and did they warn Exxon executives, who used their scientists’ climate models to make business decisions while telling Americans that models are unreliable? If true, is it fraud under American law, or is it legitimate protection of company profitability?

In December, Exxon told the Houston Chronicle that fossil fuels cause climate change, saying “the risk is real.” Exxon explained that Congress should enact a revenue-neutral carbon tax. The company wasn’t coerced to support carbon taxation. Its website has long explained why the company favors carbon taxation. Exxon’s CEO has publicly explained the company’s position.

The only thing Exxon hasn’t done is use its bully pulpit to assert the need for a carbon tax. Imagine how powerful Exxon’s voice could be in helping the public understand, mitigate and adapt to climatic changes.

The bully pulpit on climate and carbon taxation belongs to Exxon. Threats of lawsuits may thwart their use of this pulpit. Please help Exxon freely use this pulpit to set the record straight, which would be much more valuable to our nation than a decade of lawsuits.

Judy Weiss

Brookline, Mass.