Letters to the Editor for April 16

Family going to lose property in Dayton

My father farmed 40 acres near Dayton for over 30 years. The land he occupied had water rights and a potential for development which gave it significant value. He passed on shortly before the recession/depression.

We were in the midst of settling ownership of his estate when the economic climate for Nevada changed. The appraisal that we received was $5 million, which left us an estate tax bill of $1.5 million.

We tried to sell the property to pay the tax and two things occurred. A water pipeline was brought into the area reducing the value of the water rights on the land, and the recession in Nevada had decimated property values and development. We could not get a fixed offer for the land above the estate tax and expense portion of the value.

We have tried every avenue with the IRS and can't seem to get any relief. It would appear that we will lose the property because the value of the land today is less than $1 million, which doesn't come close to the tax due.

Has this happened to others during this traumatic time frame? We will lose the land to the government which will in turn sell it at a reduced price. I'm sure father would be so disheartened to think that this could happen. Father was a WWII war hero.

Bette Micheletti

Bloomington, Minn.

Reader appreciates Carol Perry's business column

I would like to express my appreciation to the Appeal for publishing the column by Carol Perry. Her view of the financial realm is of particular interest to me because of her viewpoint as a woman, and, as a retired advisor, her ability to offer an independent perspective. Both aspects are outside the usual voices offered in business opinions.

I also would like to remark on the current atmosphere at the Carson City Library, an institution very close to my heart. Reading is my first choice for relaxation, and without the library, this pastime would not be affordable. I am grateful every day for free access to books on all topics. I have also used the Internet connections provided, and again appreciate the no-cost access to this source of information.

On many of my recent visits to the library, however, the noise level and atmosphere has resembled that of a video arcade more than the traditional haven of peace and quiet intended to foster focus, study and concentration. At one time, the use of cell phones was prohibited, but apparently that policy has changed, and the typically loud conversation of the phone call is especially intrusive.

Since our library is in the midst of change and planning for the future, I would love to see at least some portion of the current facility or future facilities dedicated to that traditional atmosphere of quiet and concentration.

Patty Crane

Carson City

Writer has a few questions

These are a few points to ponder.

When our country first started, our representatives had a business or job as their livelihood, and were not paid a salary. When did this change?

Congress wants to lower social Security for seniors who are already getting it. I am one of them. I paid into Social Security for 53 years. The 1970s Social Security was solvent, then Congress decided to institute programs, and they borrowed the money from Social Security, and it has never been paid back.

What is wrong with people on public assistance working for it?

My heart goes out to the people of Japan and their natural disaster problems. What countries helped us with Katrina?

Can we afford to give foreign aid right now? We have homeless and hungry people in our own country we are not taking care of.

Why are we still in a war we cannot afford? Those people have been fighting for centuries and they don't want us there.

A friend of mine told me the other day that a friend of hers gave a kitten to her friend. He in turn gave it to his friend who used it for bait to train his dogs. Do we have dog fighting in our area again?

Dixie Horsmon

Carson City

Ensign envisions U.S. as a third-world nation

I just watched disgraced Sen. Ensign on a Sunday talk show. He was lamenting Washington spending and, to me, reinforcing his lack of judgment.

Where was he when George W. Bush inherited a surplus, and instead of paying down the debt, he gave billions to the wealthiest in the nation? Didn't he - and too many Democrats - vote for the unfunded wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Didn't he vote for the Troubled Asset Relief Program bailout?

If he is so concerned about the debt, how can he vote more tax breaks for millionaires and corporations rather than making that part of any fiscal solution? If these cuts are necessary for job creation, why have we not been flying high for the last 10 years? After the fiascoes at Enron, BP, Bernie Madoff, West Virginia coal mine explosions, etc., he wants to double down and cut regulations for small business.

Most think he is talking about mom and pop operations, but the reality is he wants regulations cut for mega-corporations. He wants the poor and middle class to pay for the follies of the past.

Borrowing money to finance tax breaks for those with the least need is unconscionable. Shredding the social safety net means the poor and middle class ultimately pay for those cuts.

Sen. Ensign obviously envisions America to be a third-world nation where the few live in guarded, gated communities, and once in awhile throw a bone over the fence for the rest of us.

Warren Sprinkle

Carson City

Supervisors' actions show lack of trust in public

This letter is about trust.

On April 7, City Manager Larry Werner and Mayor Bob Crowell testified at the Legislature in opposition to SB 304.

That bill would allow the public to vote on whether they want the supervisors to be elected from the wards they are supposed to represent, or to continue to be elected citywide.

But the board and its $80,000 lobbyist did not discuss the bill in front of the public. When the decision was made to oppose the bill, and ask to have Carson City amended out of it, none of us knows.

We pay lobbyist Mary Walker, but few, if any of us, know what she is lobbying for or against in our names.

The Board of Supervisors does not trust the public enough to let them know just what they are doing.

So here's my question for the board: If you don't trust us, why should we trust you?

Andrea Engleman

Carson City