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Opinion
Nov. 01, 2009
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

LETTERS: On swine flu, Harry Reid, Wall Street pay and Halloween

To the editor:

Now they tell us. There is a shortage of H1N1 "swine flu" vaccine shots.

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    • Weren't we told there would be plenty of the vaccine for everybody?

    And that certain groups of Americans would be required to get their shots?

    Well, anyone who wants it can have my flu shot. I don't plan to get one. I had my first and only flu shot 60 years ago. It gave me the flu.

    Could the "swine flu" epidemic scare be overblown? The news media never miss a chance to report the latest count of deaths from "swine flu -- including, tragically, young children. But rarely do you hear how many deaths there are from just plain seasonal flu.

    According to Thursday's Review-Journal there are an estimated 36,000 deaths every year from seasonal fu. But that's not called an epidemic. That's normal.

    JANE HAM

    LAS VEGAS

    Bush's fault

    To the editor:

    I'm extremely sick and tired of hearing all the negativity about the Obama administration and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Let's not forget the financial debacle our country went through thanks to George W. Bush.

    It will take -- and you can quote me on this -- a minimum of four years to start a turnaround.

    Given what President Barack Obama walked into, I think he's doing a hell of a job so far. People should develop some intelligence and wait to criticize at least two to three years into a term because it will take a minimum of four years to fix the previous administration's mess.

    BRYON WATKINS

    LAS VEGAS

    Reid pandering

    To the editor:

    We are being inundated with media stories about Sen. Harry Reid, and there's still a year to go before we can vote him out of office. With his obsession about forcing government-controlled health care on the unwilling and unwitting taking so much of his time, it's a wonder that he has time to campaign. But he manages to get his name and face in the news on a daily basis.

    Whatever his intent, he seems unaware that he is a pawn for Barack Obama and his posse of unelected czars and secretive backers. Whatever happens with health care, Harry Reid will be deemed at fault -- if it isn't adopted, it is his fault; if it is adopted and becomes a financial nightmare, as it surely will, his fingerprints will be on it.

    Sen. Reid may feel he is doing something worthwhile and needed, but there is nothing noble in his quest for universal health care, by whatever name it's called.

    He presumes too much when he takes credit for improving the lot of Nevadans -- e.g., he boasts of sending millions here for "green jobs," but the millions he "sends" are a small portion of what the citizens of Nevada send to Washington.

    He boasts of stopping a coal-fired power plant and the Yucca Mountain Project, but fails to mention those put out of work because of his actions.

    We voters will not forget his bluffing and pandering. To use his own words in the context of his campaign, "This war is lost" -- and he might as well wind it down.

    Vernon Clayson

    LAS VEGAS

    Pay czar

    To the editor:

    With regard to the current discussion about regulating compensation for top-level executives, why not set salaries as a percentage of what the lowest paid full-time employee earns?

    For example, if the lowest paid employee earns $12,000 per year, CEO salary would then be, say, no more than 1,000 times that amount, or $12 million per year. Similarly, CEO bonuses could be set in terms of a percentage at no more than say, 100 percent of their salary, or in this case, $12 million.

    Of course, the actual percentage would be a matter of negotiation. My point is that the concept of using percentages may be a useful and fair way to set compensation.

    Phil emanuel

    LAS VEGAS

    Religion lesson

    To the editor:

    In response to Tim Storey's Thursday letter on Halloween, "Evil holiday":

    Had Mr. Storey studied without prejudice, he would have found that Pagans don't believe in Satan or the devil. Satan is part of the Judeo-Christian religions and their mythology. Those who do worship the devil are worshipping the evil side of a Christian belief, not a Pagan one.

    I am not a Pagan, but I admire the fact that they worship nature and have a commitment to live in harmony with the Earth and her creatures. Pagan faiths were part of ancient Mediterranean culture. Ringing of bells, decorating pines, sprinkling of holy water, baptism, Easter, bread and wine, miracle-working sons of God, born of a mortal woman, were common elements of pre-Christian Pagan religion. They had these elements in their faith for generations, even centuries before Jesus was born.

    Just because a group worships a different god, gods or goddess does not make its members evil. This is the type of justification used by the Taliban and other religious fanatics that wreak terror over the Earth on a daily basis. I would rather they were all Pagans. The world would be a much more peaceful place.

    Ricky Kendall

    LAS VEGAS

    Home sweet home

    To the editor:

    I want to sell my home. But with foreclosures all over my neighborhood selling for less than I paid for my place in 1994, I can buy at least two -- if not three -- homes for the amount of money owed on my home.

    Why should I keep making payments on my home that has an interest-only loan? Even with interest rates being low, I still could rent a home in my area for less than my monthly note.

    I live within my means so I am not living in a palace, complaining. But who is going to bail me out?

    Rich Krikalo

    LAS VEGAS

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    Really? wrote on November 03, 2009 03:36 PM: Can't believe Vernon wants to claim there's nothing noble in trying to reform healthcare. He either has never been sick in his life and knows no one who has ever been sick in their life, or he works for an insurance company. Otherwise he's insane.


    SamT wrote on November 01, 2009 10:55 PM: @Stan G: Bullying elderly women fits you well.

    Typical leftist.


    StanG wrote on November 01, 2009 10:41 PM: Jane's being a bit disingenuous with you. First of all, she knows that at her age, she's in a group that is least likely to be affected, and that she has a high probability of have protective antibodies in her bloodstream already. Secondly, she realizes that medication given out freely to the people is a form of socialism. Lastly, she figures worst case, she'll die of her own stupidity thus avoiding Obama's Health Care Death Panels. Best case, she'll be gone before the next general election.
    So, Jane, there's no one forcing you or anyone else to accept the bad old government's offer of protection.


    wordofgod wrote on November 01, 2009 10:20 PM: Respecting nature ... good.
    Worshiping a tree? Sort of silly.
    Believing in an invisible diety? Sad.
    Wishing on a star? Everything your heart desires will come to you.


    Joe C wrote on November 01, 2009 09:05 PM: Sorry Bryon Watkins,
    But Obama’s policies on trade, spending, outsourcing of jobs, pretty much everything that Bush was doing is exactly the same, except Obama is spending more and faster.

    Not being a Bush fan, I find it hard to understand how the delusional can continue to believe just because our president name changed and policy hasn’t you can say he’s doing a great job.
    Is it because he has no lobbyist, oh wait he backed tracked on that promise, and forget the surgical removing of unnecessary spending, Obama‘s not even using a butter knife and creating more bureaucracy with more Czars.

    Clinton is responsible for the time bombs with our economic collapse signing the toxic loan bill in 99, and both the democrats and republicans could of stopped much of our collapse in 2004 and again with a democratic majority in 2006.

    Hopefully the new ethic investigations of Frank, Maxine Waters and others will bare fruit and we will rid the country of those responsible for much of our problems.
    It’s a shame nothing can be done about Bush, but at least the traitor Reid will be gone in 2010.

    What the heck is Reid going to do with all the campaign funds he collected?
    I guess being a humanitarian he will donate what’s left to his favorite charity.


    SamT wrote on November 01, 2009 10:26 AM: @Phil Emanuel: Related to Rahm? You certainly sound like him.


    teacher wrote on November 01, 2009 10:23 AM: Thank you, Rich. I am in the same boat, and absolutely disgusted. It is very tempting to walk away. Bailout money to these companies that screwed everybody, with no strings attached, and no requirement to rework our loans? Why not walk away? I'm treated like trash as a teacher already. I may as well just cut my losses, and up and leave. I'm tired of being one of the responsible Americans who just gets screwed for it.


    j wrote on November 01, 2009 09:52 AM: On Harry Reid: "He boasts of stopping a coal-fired power plant and the Yucca Mountain Project, but fails to mention those put out of work because of his actions."

    Yeah, but most people in Nevada didn't want those projects just for the jobs they created. I liken it to drug dealers & prostitutes. They have "jobs" that make money but I don't want their business in my community either. You have to make a choice to give up some jobs from bad projects or sell your soul to the devil for more money.

    The coal plant would have created tons of pollution and Yucca Mtn? Come on. All the anti-government people on here can give you enough reasons to kill that. Bad science, political deals, etc.

    In this case, Harry Reid was doing what he was elected to do-represent the majority of Nevadans who didn't want Yucca or the dirty coal plant.


    RHG wrote on November 01, 2009 09:18 AM: It will take -- and you can quote me on this -- a minimum of four years to start a turnaround.
    ___________

    Yep, the evil bogeyman Bush is to blame and it will now take not one, but two terms for dear leader Obama to straighten out this mess.


    Marla wrote on November 01, 2009 09:03 AM: Hey Ted and Truth,
    There are many 3rd party, nonpartisan organizations out there that dispel fact from fiction. May I suggest you look into them? The information you are citing as "true" is not. Check it out.

    http://www.snopes.com
    http://www.factcheck.org
    http://www.truthorfiction.com
    http://www.politifact.com
    http://www.urbanlegends.com

    And then there's
    http://www.govtrack.us
    http://www.opencongress.org
    http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck
    http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/settingtherecord

    And of course, if you'd like to see the real bill, visit
    http://www.thomas.loc.gov

    And if you STILL have questions, talk to the people who are writing the bill - not the ones who have a vested, financial interest in seeing it fail.




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