Shouldn’t teachers have to share in the pain?

To the editor:

After reading about how underpaid local school teachers claim to be, I wonder: Why is it that they think their industry is exempt from any belt-tightening?

Private industry has to make sacrifices and cut back when the profits decrease. Why can’t the education system do the same thing? Teachers chose their career. It wasn’t forced upon them. Members of many other professions in the valley have to make do with long hours and low pay — the casino worker, retail worker, real estate broker, state worker. Yet we hear no whining from them. And, yes, many of them have college degrees, too.

I have lived in many towns and cities throughout this country, and I have yet to live anywhere where the teachers are satisfied with their pay. To me, the education system budget pot is nothing more than a bottomless pit. The taxpayer keeps pouring in the dollars, but it is never enough.

By looking at the low Nevada test results and education statistics, it doesn’t appear we get much for our buck now. Every time there is a tax increase, the numbers don’t get any better. Now they want to cut off the hand that feeds them, the casinos. If you want to trigger an economic slowdown and layoffs, I suggest you re-think this. Higher taxes on the casinos are not the answer.

I suggest they cut out some of the nice-to-have classes — like sandbox 1A and 1B — and get back to the basics, the three R’s. School uniforms would not be a bad idea, either. In addition, get rid of some of the buses and let the kids walk to school. This would have an added benefit of reducing some of the obesity problems, because physical education has been scaled back in the curriculum.

WARREN WILLIS SR.

LAS VEGAS

Dim bulbs

To the editor:

With the increasing hysteria about outlawing luminescent light bulbs, I outfitted my whole house and outside lighting with the new fluorescent bulbs about 18 months ago. The results are in:

They are much more expensive, don’t really last longer, never made a difference in my power bill and they constitute a disposal hazard.

So much for all the hype being spread by the special interest groups.

R.A. Salter

HENDERSON

Tax rates

To the editor:

For everyone who is in favor of the near doubling of the Nevada gaming tax, I’d like them to ask themselves a question: What would happen if your taxes doubled overnight?

I don’t care how rich you may be, a doubling of your tax payment is going to affect how you live your life. Likewise, the doubling of the casino tax will have immediate and long-lasting effects on the prosperity of this town — all negative.

Would not a one-half of one percent increase per year for the next seven years ultimately achieve the same goal, albeit down the road, while allowing the casinos to gradually absorb the increases?

While recognizing that I, as a Clark County teacher, stand to benefit from this ill-conceived plan, I am totally opposed to it because of the long-term negative implications it will have on the Las Vegas economy. And if you think it won’t, then you don’t really understand basic economics.

Robert Bencivenga

HENDERSON

Debate invitation

To the editor:

I found Jim Day’s recent cartoon regarding GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul hilarious. However, I would challenge Mr. Day to point out three issues on which Mr. Paul is factually inaccurate and provide supporting evidence.

I have heard many people saying Rep. Paul is a quack or crackpot — yet not one of those people seems able to back these statements with anything other than name calling.

I am a history major at UNLV and I would welcome the chance to debate your political consultant or anyone else you feel has enough political expertise to debate. The debate would be more of a discussion about the issues that are really pressing in America right now and why our media — including your paper — seem to ignore them.

These issues include:

1) The Federal Reserve and its illegal takeover of our monetary system in 1913.

2) The income tax and the reasons it violates our constitutional rights to apportioned taxes and unapportioned taxes, not to mention our rights to the fruits of our labor.

I could list more but, it appears I am out of space. This invitation is an open one. I welcome any correspondence.

JEREMY MORRISON

LAS VEGAS