Las Vegas Review-Journal - Opinion

First of all, no entity should commit $185 million for an unnecessary building in such bleak financial times, especially when the infrastructure is collapsing underneath our feet. Mr. Goodman and the talking heads on our City Council are so sure that this project will create a "mini boom" in our economy. Isn't that what they told us about the Fremont Street Experience?

Mr. Goodman and his inept cronies need to do a little research and surrender to the fact that every city has its unsightly underbelly, and ours begins with downtown. What is he going to do? Round up the people he doesn't want the tourists to see and put them on buses to go back to where they came from?

Mr. Goodman, like President Obama, is simply playing both sides against the middle making promises of new programs that inevitably benefit few for a temporary span of time.

Mr. Goodman needs to get off his soap box and present workable solutions to real problems. Why can't we utilize some of the vacant buildings downtown or some of the empty library rooms to house these vital and much-needed city offices? This would be the "mini boom" that downtown needs.

Imagine all those city employees actually benefiting from the perks of a functional and vibrant downtown and the downtown businesses benefiting from this captive populous with real money.

To me, just an average working stiff, City Hall and the mayor need to get off this spending binge and find real, practical solutions to dealing with fiscal difficulties in the worst recession of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The taxpayers are in no position to take risks with their finances. Neither should Oscar Goodman and our City Council.

Erik Qualle

LAS VEGAS

Backs Ensign

To the editor:

Let's stop picking on Nevada Sen. John Ensign.

Sen. Ensign is one of the finest public servants we have in our state. He is the kind of person we want to stay in politics, not resign. He's made some mistakes recently, yet he has made very few other mistakes in a long and excellent career representing our state in Congress.

He has shrewdly maneuvered in Washington to obtain a coveted position on the powerful Senate Finance Committee, and has used that position to benefit the people and industries of Nevada. He has also been adroit in the conduct of his relationship with Sen. Harry Reid, and thereby remained effective as his party became the minority in the Senate. Sen. Ensign cares about Nevada, and you'll see him coming home constantly on weekends, notwithstanding the grueling trip back and forth to Washington.

People make mistakes, including John Ensign, Tiger Woods and every other person in this world. "Gotcha politics," which has become the norm in this time of 24/7 ubiquitous news looking everywhere for the sensational, is not healthy for our country. We are a small state. We've got a few really good elected officials who flex their muscles nationally far beyond what our small population would otherwise allow. John Ensign is one of them.

Let's put down the sticks and make ourselves an exception from gotcha politics, and let John Ensign keep doing a job he does very well.

Mark A. James

LAS VEGAS

THE WRITER IS A FORMER REPUBLICAN STATE SENATOR.

Self-promotion

To the editor:

In a stunning but predictable display of boilerplate bull, the Las Vegas Sun fudged, hedged and dithered in making the announcement of its parent company's latest layoffs and "consolidation."

The nauseating spin came via Editor Brian Greenspun's Wednesday column, in which had the gall to state in the subhead that the action "unites our talent." But rather than enlighten readers by actually spelling out the grim news, Mr. Greenspun prattled on suggesting "the winners will be the same people who have always benefited from reading the Las Vegas Sun."

Nowhere in the Sun was there a straight news story describing what happened. A small note at the bottom of Mr. Greenspun's column referenced an "official statement" at the company's Web site. Not good enough.

Fortunately, the news was reported on the front page of the Review-Journal's Business section. According to the story, at least 20 workers were laid off, and most were higher-paid employees. Rather than provide hard information and offer more than perfunctory sorrow, Mr. Greenspun used the event as a launching pad for shameless self-promotion.

Although many of my political and social positions are more in tune with the Sun, the Review-Journal gets higher marks for reporting news while avoiding the hypocrisy that taints the Sun.

Nothing wrong with the Sun trying to make lemonade out of its lemons, but at least have the decency and journalistic integrity to give readers full details of the sour news before sugar coating it.

Buzz Daly

HENDERSON

Spread of Islam

To the editor:

Hooray for the Swiss. They have overwhelmingly voted to deny the construction of minarets in Switzerland. Naturally, Muslim groups worldwide condemned the move as anti-Islamic.

Muslims demand to spread their religion worldwide, but deny the same right to other religions in their countries. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, America and allies reclaimed Kuwait and protected Saudi Arabia against invasion. Having done this, our military chaplains were not allowed to display a cross or star of David on their uniforms. Christians who attempt to preach in Muslim countries are threatened with death or even killed.

It is time for our politically correct officials to straighten their backbones and stop the bootlicking of Muslims. Islam has one goal: that is to convert everyone to Islam. If they can't do it peacefully, they will use violence, killing men, women and children, including their own people.

WALTER E. GUNTHER

LAS VEGAS