Letter to the editor

Hope we can find someone like Dan

Editor:

So, Dan Holler is leaving. All I can say to commissioner Brady is, be careful what you wish for, because you might get it. I'm afraid Dave's personal dislike of Dan has clouded his professional judgment.

Be that as it may, let's hope the board can find a county manager who can approach Dan in intelligence and work ethic.

Dan has been a great improvement over his predecessor (anyone remember Julio?) and will not be easy to replace.

Dan has been accused of kowtowing to developers, but when we had the chance to protect 260 acres of our land from development through the TDR program, Dan was very helpful and certainly did nothing to try to derail the project.

His job was to carry out the policies of the board and that's what he did. Best wishes to you and your family, Dan. It was nice knowing you.

David Hussman

Gardnerville

College not

a free ride

Editor:

When did government funded K-12 education become government funded 13 and higher education?

My parents and I paid for mine with a lot of hard work.

Gerald Bing

Gardnerville

DUI sentence clearly 'racist'

Editor:

This is the way I see it. In my experiences, and in one case I know of, in Nevada, if you are white, you can chase an Indian down, stab and kick him to death and they will call it involuntary for you and you will do about a year. In Nevada, if you are Indian, you get a second felony DUI, none of which never resulted in harm, let alone death to anyone, you get a public defender that used to prosecute Indians, and you get locked up for 12 years. What's up with that? By the way, I am white.

Shelly Jeffords

Markleeville

Democrats acting irresponsibly

Editor:

Assembly Democrats on the Interim Finance Committee fail to act responsibly.

Ignoring the financial problems of Nevada and even though Nevada's prison director told them he did not need the $4.8 million to construct the transition center, they foolishly voted to go forward and spend the money.

State Public Works Manager Gus Nunez told them: "We are here to ask you to delete it (the project) because it is not needed."

Yet the Democrat members of the committee went forward to spend the $4.8 million which the state does not have. Do you all have your heads in the sand? Why do you refuse to recognize the necessity to cut spending?

Democrats really are the party of the "taxers and spenders."

Stuart L. Posselt

Minden

Caucus meetings

preceded Reid

Editor:

To blame Harry Reid for the caucuses or the confusion many Democrats witnessed on caucus day, as so many have done in letters to this paper, requires a willful disregard of the facts.

To be sure, the history of the caucus can be complicated; but any argument with such a thesis is lazy, and indicates a stunning contempt for Nevada history.

Since 1952, party leaders and the Nevada Legislature have struggled to set rules governing the nomination of presidential candidates.

Indeed, the number of attempts to transition to a primary system rival the number of gubernatorial campaigns waged by Aaron Russo. Turns out, Democrats like to caucus. Even when given the option of holding a primary by the 1995 legislature, Democrats opted for a caucus. Since 1984, Nevada Democrats have trudged out to caucuses across the state to nominate a candidate.

Harry Reid did not invent the caucus. In fact, some party leaders were so irked by his efforts to remain neutral, they publicly criticized him for not taking a larger role.

Like the guy who tips a bouncer to skate past the velvet ropes, Harry Reid simply convinced national party leaders Nevada was worthy. By securing a spot for Nevada early in the primary lineup, he ensured Nevada would get its 15 minutes. As a result, more than 100,000 caucused. If you were one of them, I encourage you to thank Sen. Reid for giving Nevada a voice in this dubious process.

Wayne Archer

Gardnerville

Austin's House

a true miracle

Editor:

The construction of Austin's House was truly a miracle. This was a powerful example of our wonderful community coming together to help children in need. We never could have completed this dream without the help of all the contractors who kindly donated their time and materials. On behalf of the board of directors and the staff at Austin's House, I would like to thank the entire construction community for their generous donations to build this incredible facility. You will always have our sincere gratitude.

There are so many companies to recognize. Thank you very much to A & A Construction, Accurate Mobile Locksmith, Al's Excavation, Basalite, Brilliant Blinds, BGS Roofing, Bing Materials, BSE, Beverly Caputo, Carson Fire Equipment, Carson Valley Glass, Carson Valley Movers, Carson Valley Painting, Cavallero Heating and Air Conditioning, Century 21, Chesser Construction, Meeks Lumber, Counter Fitters, Custom Door of Nevada, Delta Fire Sprinklers, Desert Star Landscaping, ESE, EXD Engineering, Faucets and Fixtures, GLG Electric, Hakaanson Masonry, Home Depot, J & S Flooring, Jeff Hall Construction, LA Thomas Plastering, Lone Tree Gallery, NuSystems, Pezonella Associates, Inc., Radtke Tile and Marble, Scottsdale Plumbing, Shamrock Porta Potties, Sierra Hearth and Home Closets, Sierra Rain, Sierra Truss, Silver State Roofing, Stantec Consulting, Syncon Homes, TEC Civil Engineering Consultants, Valley Appliance, Western Nevada Supply, West Ridge Homes, Willowbend Woodworkers and Wilson Construction.

If I omitted your name, please call me at 267-6676 so you can be recognized in the community for your efforts.

Thank you very much to all of the workers that poured your heart and soul in this construction project. Thanks for taking the extra time to make sure your work was perfect! There are three individuals that must be singled out for their incredible donations: Peter Beekhof of West Ridge Homes, Chip Hanly of Syncon Homes and Larry Thomas of LA Thomas Plastering. We could never thank you enough for your generosity.

Everyone who worked on the construction should be extremely proud of the finished product. It is amazing. You can view the completed building at www.austinshouse.org. Click on the Austin's House virtual tour link to see inside this beautiful facility.

When Austin's House opened in August, I can honestly say it was one of the proudest days of my life. I am so blessed to live with such friendly and generous neighbors here in Carson Valley. Thanks again to everyone who helped.

Conrad Buedel

Carson Valley Children's Center,

Austin's House