Washington wasting money on green power

I read with great interest your Friday editorial, “Green grants,” and I heartily agree. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been deceiving Nevadans to satisfy his environmentalist friends.

When you think about the amount of money being spent on these solar- and wind-power projects, projects that will only produce about a fifth as much power as your average coal or nuclear power plant, it makes you sick. Coal plants don’t need government money to be built. What they need is for the government to quit balking on permits and allow them to proceed.

While I am not against solar and wind power, they need to be built by private industry with private funding, and they need to be profitable. Throwing money at solar and wind power just promotes waste.

Harvey S. Eastman

Las Vegas

Squandered

To the editor:

Five billion dollars of the taxpayers’ money is to be squandered and lost on President Obama’s fantasy (“Solar project wins guarantee,” Thursday Review-Journal). This next loss will be on top of the half-billion dollars lost with Solyndra.

We were shafted on the stimulus bill. We were shafted on ObamaCare. Everything the president touches is a failure. Our country is broke.

I look, with optimism, toward the upcoming election in 2012.

Wayne P. Brotherton Sr.

Amargosa Valley

Insolvent

To the editor:

In a recent interview with former Office of Management and Budget Director David Stockman by blogger Chris Martenson, Mr. Stockman indicates our total debt (both public and private) has reached $52 trillion. Considering that happens to be the approximate total net worth of our nation at this moment, it would appear to be the ultimate tipping point, where any further debt is unsupported by assets.

For all intents and purposes, then, this means our nation is insolvent. Let that sink in for a moment.

As our national political leaders tirelessly work to score points against the opposite party, our economy burns and our future dims. Why is this not top-line, front-page news? The political parties do not want us to ask the tough questions, let alone demand truthful response. It took more than a decade to get here, and there is plenty of blame to go around.

Everything you read and hear is so politicized as to be pure political theater, designed to keep the public amused, oblivious and indifferent, distracted from the harsh economic realities that should scare us all to death. We cannot hope to debate liberal or conservative views if the economy collapses and we relive a 1930s-style depression — sans deflation.

According to Carmen Reinhard and Kenneth Rogoff in their recent book, “This Time is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly,” a depression might be the best outcome possible. I sure hope not.

The real question about our future is when our foreign creditors quit buying our debt, or the charade of the Federal Reserve buying the debt no longer works, what then?

Let us be honest with ourselves and our children: We face the bankruptcy of the nation for the first time in our history. We will be defined by this moment.

Steve Lowe

Las Vegas

Dark ideology

To the editor:

I am responding to Thursday’s letter from Gard Jameson, “Negative opinions on Islam serve only to inflame.” I question Mr. Jameson’s depth of knowledge of Islam because he dances around the facts of just what Islam is, and what it hopes to accomplish. I would suggest that Mr. Jameson familiarize himself with Islam’s Doctrine of Abrogation.

Islam is an imperialist religion, more so than Christianity has been, and in contrast to Judaism. Sura 5:85 describes the inevitable enmity between Muslims and Non-Muslims: “Among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews and Christians.” Sura 9:5 adds: “Fight and slay the pagans wherever you find them. Seize them, beleaguer them and lie in wait for them. The nations, however mighty, must be fought until they embrace Islam.”

And these are verses from the more recent passages of the Quran.

Islam is not a religion of peace. In its essence, Islam is a political ideology, and it remains an ideology of the dark ages.

BILL FENNELL

LAS VEGAS

Arrogance

To the editor:

I always was taught that the three branches of our federal government — executive, judicial and legislative — were created to provide the necessary checks and balances needed to run a sound government.

It now appears we have a president who feels he is above obeying certain laws that were passed by Congress and signed into law by a president. An example of President Obama’s outright abuse is his recent move to grant waivers that usurp some of the provisions in the No Child Left Behind Act.

Since when is a president unilaterally allowed to amend or change an existing law passed by Congress and signed by a president? Mr. Obama has no right to make any changes without the approval of Congress. Such arrogance by the president should no longer be tolerated.

CLARENCE LANZRATH

LAS VEGAS

Fair market

To the editor:

In response to Sunday’s letter from David Ross, “Listing game”:

As a Realtor, I must point out that a listing agent is required by law to present all offers to the client.

Realtors do not decide the value of a property. The fair market does. A property is worth what a willing buyer will offer and willing seller will accept.

Duane Williams

Henderson