Letters to the Editor

Record Courier Staff Reports
March 26, 2008

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Apply rules to

the feds, too

Editor:

In The Record-Courier "Our opinion" column titled "Constitution, free market set path" really hit home ... until I read it. The Constitution is our nations's road map and it explicitly sets forth government's role and promotes a free market economy. Unfortunately, I found no discussion of these topics in the article as the title suggests.

However, the column states "If a court says the will of the people violates the Constitution, the court is right until overturned."

I believe the "will of the people" would be better served and a "free market" could thrive when the court says the federal government violates the Constitution. It is time to start putting the federal government to the same constitutional test as the people

Vicki Hargrove

Gardnerville



New kid knows airport better

Editor:

It is very informative to see your new publisher use his bully pulpit to tell us local country bumpkins how foolish our concerns are about the future of the Minden airport. Never mind that we express our concerns after seeing the progress of the airport from a welcome local resource to its continuing development as a jet center. While I've only worked at the airport for almost 12 years and have seen the actual development, the new kid certainly knows better since he comes from Vail, Colo., where only skiers and the rich and famous fly jets into that airport.

Airport management and local political leaders have long been quick to deny any plans for major development at the airport while they continue to take steps that directly support that development. No wonder some folks "exaggerate" to some degree when expressing their concerns. Nobody really expects airbuses to visit here, but even a casual observer can see/hear the steadily increasing number of business-class jets at Minden, reasonably speculate on the ultimate tenants of the large numbers of jet-capable hangars planned by Piñon Aero, and note the changing nature of operations at the airport.

Perhaps Mr. Rogers would accept an invitation to sit with a few of us old timers and discuss our viewpoint before he tells us to "...get real." By the way, I remember way back in the last century that Vail, Colo., put out a notice that any glider foolish, or unfortunate enough, to land there would need a release from local authorities before being permitted to leave in a trailer and never by aerotow. Should that be a model for Minden?

Mike Moore

Gardnerville



Airport column a breath of fresh air

Editor:

Publisher Don Rogers' article about the Minden-Tahoe Airport was a useful corrective to the heroically ignorant correspondence that has been flooding your editorial page. We're about a century's growth away from Vail Regional, much less San Jose International.

In fact, your front page that day pointed out that Douglas County has lost population for the second year in a row. Airport hysterics might take note of the swelling inventory of unsold homes and plunging property values around here. A few wealthy aircraft owners might get to like it here and buy some houses.

Airport-generated economic activity might also create employment opportunities and more businesses that we as consumers might be interested in patronizing. Our rural area is lucky to have airport services like an air taxi company, glider rides, a decent café, and a modest air show from time to time.

Regarding the noise nuisance, at one of the county commission meetings I attended, it was pointed out that private jets land and take off at a steeper angle than prop planes, and that a G-V is quieter than a 20 year old Beach Baron.

Thanks, Mr. Rogers, for your well-written article.

Lynn Muzzy

Minden