Letters to the editor for Sunday, March 15, 2015

Bill on records a bad idea

The 2015 Nevada State Legislative session has a piece of legislation in the works labeled SB28, which states about clarifying fees on charges for records and is a bad proposal.

The bill, if passed, would allow for staff fees to be charged to requester that takes more than 30 minutes of compiling requested records. The problem here is many records could be counted under this category since many are large in nature whether by pages and/or plain in research, so that’s just one issue.

Secondly, the bill allows for fees any public record larger than 25 pages to charge 50 cents a page, including if delivered electronically, which goes by to first problem mentioned — many are just that, large files.

The municipalities and overall government agencies are lobbying for the bill by saying that it takes many resources to accommodate requests pertaining to records, but others argue a different point of view.

The point of view that many have is the bill is going to stifle citizens from requesting records, which should be easily available without hassle, whether by electronically and/or hard copy. This proposal should not be considered and voted down for reasons stated.

Bill Miller

Las Vegas

Number not in service

I received a letter from Publishers Clearing House stating I am a third place winner. I called the number on the letter, and the number was not in service.

Adele Quintel

Minden

Let diplomacy work in Iran

As you may know, 47 Republican senators recently sent a warning letter to Iranian leaders threatening to blow up any diplomatic deal negotiated by President Obama.

This letter wasn’t just bad politics — it was a dangerous attempt to undermine negotiations with Iran. The leader of the letter, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), has explicitly stated that the goal of congressional action is to make talks with Iran fail.

This is disrespectful, dangerous, and reckless. These Republicans should be held accountable. I hope no Democrat joins them in blowing up the president’s diplomatic efforts and putting us on a path to war.

The chance represented by the Iran talks is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to resolve one of America’s biggest security concerns without dropping a single bomb or risking an American life.

I hope my members of Congress will oppose two bills that could lead to a collapse of the talks: the Menendez-Kirk sanctions bill (SB 269) and the Corker-Graham bill (SB 615) mandating an “up or down” vote on any agreement.

If Congress kills these negotiations or vetoes a final deal, Iran is likely to unfreeze its nuclear program, which means either Iran gets a nuclear bomb, or we have to fight another war in the Middle East.

The way to avoid those awful outcomes is for Congress to let diplomacy work!

Christopher Lunn

Carson City

An old man I am

Old Man I Am

By Grant H. Wass

I am what I am

An old man I am

My walker creaks

As I walk down the street

The oxygen I breathe

Is the air I need

Either ignored or pitied

Feeling alone in the city

I am disabled

But I am able

To live my life

Never thinking twice

Of who I am

An old man I am

I go outside

I never hide inside

I don’t drive

RSVP gives me a ride

I keep them busy

They never throw a tizzy

Driving me around the city

There’s Marty,

Who I know

He’s a good Joe

I get a monthly check

Unless Social Security forgets

My caretaker

Takes care of me

Keeps me happy

Part of my check

What the heck

I drop in the slot

Some days I’m hot

Some days I’m not

When I’m out and about

If you know me

Give me a shout

I’ll shout back

A voice I don’t lack

I woke up on this side of dirt

A good day,

But my bones always hurt

A good day, most days

For this old man

I am.

Grant H. Wass

Carson City

O’Neill is who he says he is

This is to let Carson City know what we have in our Assemblyman PK O’Neill. Before the election, PK proved himself to be a very gracious individual who seemed to truly care about the people and who willingly gave his time to answer questions and concerns. He also had the right answers to my questions.

However wonderful this is, it is easy to give the right answers during election season. I am most pleased to report that after winning the office Assemblyman O’Neill is still the gracious man he had been during election season and even more importantly, he is doing the very things he said he would! This is called integrity, and this man is brimming with it. Integrity is often hard to find in the political arena, and he deserves a shout out.

Carson City, know that this man is daily fighting for the protections guaranteed to citizens in the Bill of Rights. Thank you, Assemblyman O’Neill, for all that you are doing.

Kate Morra

Carson City