Letters to the Editor, Feb. 26

Special interests continue to ruin politics

As numerous Nevada elected public officials now scramble to donate or otherwise dispose of campaign funds they received from Whittemore, the vision of hordes of rats scrambling to abandon a sinking ship comes to mind.

I also wonder if these political officials and elected officers are returning and/or donating the funds received from Whittemore's company employees and relatives.

It also reminds me of the scenario of a bank robber who is caught with the loot offering to return the money to the bank in return for immunity from prosecution for the actual crime of robbing the bank in the first place.

These so-called public officials either knew of the shenanigans of Whittemore and his kind or they certainly should have. Everyone else did.

Citizens and public advocates of campaign financing reform and open and transparent government have been blowing the whistle on these types of scurrilous campaign donations and activities for decades.

Nevada has been well-known for years for its bought-and-paid-for politicians. I personally would support investigations and prosecution where appropriate of all donors and recipients of any money transferred in violation of state or federal campaign laws.

Special interests and special-interest money have controlled Nevada politics, both state and local, since we first became a state. We have another election this year and all I can say is follow the money.

Gary Schmidt

Dayton

Thomas has story wrong on teacher of the year

Bob Thomas wrote an excellent commentary on venture capitalism a week or so ago. His experience and knowledge made it a very informative and accurate piece of writing. Our community has been fortunate to have his views shared by the Nevada Appeal.

With that said, one must also comment on an inaccurate assertion in his Feb. 2 opinion statement. He wrote, "I know of one teacher who was voted Teacher of the Year, engineered by the union so she would have name recognition for her state Assembly campaign, and she won."

Here is how it actually happened.

The school principal asked his department heads to suggest a teacher for Teacher of the Year. The principal, while under advisement, ultimately made the selection of the teacher from his school. This choice was forwarded on to a district-wide committee for Carson City School District's Teacher of the Year.

Finally, the competition was between county selections for Nevada's Teacher of the Year. The teachers association had no part in this process.

As a former school board member, Mr. Thomas should have known better. This process is about merit, and should not be tainted with political prejudice. I suggest Mr. Thomas return to his high standards of writing.

Dave Hampton

Carson City

Eliminating $1 bill would burden businesses

Congress is currently discussing a bill that would end up an annoyance to the public and a waste of precious taxpayer dollars. This legislation, HR 2977, would get rid of the dollar bill and mandate the use of a dollar coin.

I have owned a sports bar for six years. We don't accept credit cards, only cash. It may not seem like much, but handling and counting coins takes much longer than counting bills. If we had to do this daily, our loss in productivity would be immeasurable.

We have several machines in the bar, some of which we own and some we rent. Only one takes dollar coins. It would cost me $500-$1,000 just to replace my jukebox. The machines I rent would need to be replaced by the rental company, which would likely be a great hardship for them.

Consumers didn't even use the old dollar coins. When they were used, they were mistaken for quarters. People became frustrated, and wound up collecting them instead of using them for their intended purpose, currency.

Attempting to mandate the use of a new dollar coin would ignore the public's sentiments and place an unnecessary burden on small businesses.

Michael Kaffenberger

Carson City

Politicians have us on a road to ruin

First of all, my friends, many of us are having trouble because of our grand and glorious people in Washington leading us all down the road to ruin.

As for me and all the other veterans of World War II, it's a direct slap in the face for what we all went through for our once-great country, but they will pay for that when they meet up with their creator when it's their time.

They still have a little time to repent if they will change. Otherwise, it will be the very hot fires of their hell when they meet up with their creator.

What we all need is short-time politics, and either produce, or out you go, baby. Short and sweet, but really true.

Robert E. Brandt

Carson City

GOP birth control accusations are pointless

There is a very important fellow in Rome who considers himself infallible. He says birth control is evil. So do tens of thousands of cardinals, archbishops, bishops and priests who wish to remain in his good grace.

However, in America, 98 percent of Catholic women must think this infallible fellow is full of beans since they have chosen to practice contraception at least once in their lives. Catholic businesses, such as hospitals, refuse to pay for birth control solutions for their employees, in spite of irrefutable evidence of the health benefits from contraception. Obama says that these businesses cannot discriminate against women for religious reasons by refusing to pay for birth control.

Now, Republican politicians, always alert for any foul thing to say about Obama, are accusing him of religious discrimination. This is rubbish. Their accusations are totally backward. Obama wants all women to have these benefits, including those who are under the thumb of the infallible fellow and his legions of male sycophants.

To achieve this end, Obama made the insurance companies responsible for paying for birth control. The Republicans need to reconsider who is actually being discriminated against before they spew out their accusations.

Phil Stotts

Carson City