Letters to the editor for Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013

Smaller towns offer more for young people than Carson City

I want to address an issue that I find the importance to be talked about: activities or places for teenagers to hang out. Carson City has bars and casinos, but for a teenager on a Friday or Saturday night, there is nothing. There are plenty of museums to check out, but if you’ve lived here, you’ve probably seen them already.

Maybe a youth club should be opened. I stayed in Austin, Nevada for a summer a couple of years ago, and it had a youth club for all ages. They had a pool table for the teenagers and movies for the youngsters of town. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. A youth club gets kids out of the house, but only to hang out in a safe place.

I came from a small town in the middle of nowhere that had nothing, but there was a family that would rent out the community center in town to have “open gym” days for the youth where they could come play sports, video games, board games or just hang out with friends in a safe place, something like a boys and girls club of sorts, but maybe with more for all age groups, not just younger kids. It gets kids out of the house and doing stuff without just wandering around or getting in trouble. Let’s get out there and do something!

Jessica Babbitt

Carson City

Democrats blew chance to avoid GOP blackmail attempt

In regard to the government shutdown, the Democrats bombed it big time! If they had immediately bounced the budget bill back to the House of Representatives with the following amendments, they would have had something with which to negotiate rather than being the subject of a blatant blackmail attempt.

1. In the event of a future government shutdown caused by congressional inaction, members of Congress, for the first seven days will permanently forfeit two days’ pay for every day of the shutdown and thereafter, one week’s pay for every day for as long as the impasse continues.

2. Henceforth, members of Congress will be responsible for their own health insurance.

3. Congressional retirement will be limited to whatever Social Security benefits they have accrued based upon their years of service.

4. Congressional paid vacation time will be limited to that of the average American worker.

John O’Neill

Minden