Why must we pay to use public lands?
To the editor:
In response to your Sunday story, “Off-roaders ticked off”:
Why is an off-road group paying the Bureau of Land Management to use our lands? Don’t our tax dollars go, in part, to fund these same lands? It seems to me that the BLM does not have a right to charge a group or, for that matter, anybody for the use of these lands. They are supposed to be free for any taxpaying citizen of the United States to use. (Except in the instance of an officially sanctioned campsite. The nominal fees for the upkeep and maintenance would be expected.)
Most folks who use the land are responsible for their own selves, removing their own trash and restoring their own campsites. They clean up after camping, and the use of existing roads and trails does not present a major impact on the land — forget about what the environmental wackos say to the contrary. There is no reason for these fees to be extorted except to further limit the people’s use of their own land.
We citizens of Nevada are fortunate to have vast amounts of public land for our use, but do not for a second think of this land as “government owned,” because it is not. It is owned wholly by the taxpayers of the United States and should be available for the free use and enjoyment of all.
Jeff Whitney
LAS VEGAS
Sober up
To the editor:
I figured out why it was recently reported that NASA was letting its astronauts fly space vehicles while drunk: They’re preparing these astronauts for the trip to Mars.
Consider that the probe they just sent off to the “red planet” is going to take 10 months to get there. Now substitute, say, four marsonauts, and expect them to live in a very confined space, surrounded by mountains of food, oxygen, medical and scientific supplies, etc., and tell me that they could spend 10 months that way while sober.
Consider also that these marsonauts would know that when they reach Mars, assuming they do, that it will take 10 months to get back. Does anyone really think they could do that while sober?
A number of 55-gallon drums of vodka would be as essential as the food supplies.
Then again, maybe we should call the whole thing off and rely on space probes.
Richard J. Mundy
LAS VEGAS
Not lawns
To the editor:
In response to the numerous letters and stories concerning our so-called “lawn problem”:
I found the naive conclusion that grass is not only the sole cause of the valley’s water problem, but is also incompatible with the city’s future, rather humorous. Is it possible that residential customers with grass around their homes are truly the only ones to blame for excess water usage?
If Las Vegas needs to get rid of its lawns, then it also needs to get rid of its abundant pools, hotels, resorts and every other new water-consuming development this valley allows every year. Is it so much easier to blame the problem on grass rather than focus on the fact that the more exponential growth this city sees, the more resources will be demanded?
When will we start to see restrictions imposed upon all of the other unfriendly water users throughout the city?
Years ago, the Southern Nevada Water Authority began its drought restriction watering schedule to help the city combat water waste among residential users. Some of these customers have yards, others do not. An interesting fact not remembered is that there are actually periods when homeowners with lawns are not using water. Whether it is due to an infrequent rain or during the colder months, extra efforts are made to conserve.
Many other elements around the valley, particularly the growing number of new developments, use water every day without any imposed conservation rules. The growing demand for supply — not the few homes left with yards — is obviously the main reason the water authority seeks alternative ways to quench our needs.
It is unfair to point the finger at anyone with a lawn as the reason we have seen record water consumption and a dwindling supply each year.
MATT HULBURT
NORTH LAS VEGAS
Bridge work
To the editor:
Bridges in the United States are in need of repair, and it becomes a letter on a stack that sits for years and nobody moves on it. Then a bridge falls in Minnesota and everybody wonders why lives must be taken and cars moved to the junkyard.
The United States is solving all the problems of the world — getting involved in wars and providing foreign aid — while our problems are being put on the back burner. Let’s solve our problems by fixing bridges when they need repair immediately and let the rest of the world solve their own problems.
Our taxes are high, and the money should be spent at home first, for whatever our needs are at the time.
CAROL SCHOLIN
LAS VEGAS
