Letters to the editor March 17

Stranger's kindness was heart-warming

My 7-year-old daughter, who has Down Syndrome, and I were in Dairy Queen last week. She was picking out her birthday cake for her 8th birthday. While we were waiting for them to write on the cake, two gentlemen walked in. The one man asked if we were waiting, I told him we were just waiting for her cake. He began a conversation with her about her birthday. He said he had little girls, too. He asked if her birthday was today. I told him her birthday is on Thursday, but I had forgotten to get the cake earlier that day.

He wished her a happy birthday and wanted to give her something for her birthday, as long as it was OK with Mom. I said that was not necessary, but he wanted to, so I said that was fine and he handed her $10. She thanked him and gave him a hug. I thanked him and told him that was extremely kind.

It just goes to show that even in these days of hard economic times, the birthday fairy can show up in the most unusual place in the most unlikely form.

To the man who gave my daughter the gift, there are no words that can express my gratitude for your kindness. Thank you.

Ellen Marquez

Gardnerville

The system is still broken after 16 years

I am responding to Mr. Jackson's letter about his experience at the market. My husband and I decided to move to Nevada over 10 years ago because we had this same experience time and time again. We would go to the market, only to be behind someone in line paying with food stamps wearing gold chains, a Rolex watch, and getting into a Mercedes, Cadillac, or other late model expensive vehicle.

We had our own family business wherein some of the accounts were apartments. Some of these apartment tenants were subsidized with government money. There would be suitcases not yet unpacked with the airline tag on them, yet a book of food stamps was in plain sight.

The city we left allegedly advertised overseas for persons to relocate there. Either government fraud has gone unnoticed or, in over 16 plus years, the system is still broken.

April Stevens

Gardnerville