Letters to the Editor Sept. 12

Editor:

Support your community. The Genoa Candy Dance Arts & Crafts Fair is held for two days out of 365 days a year. Volunteers work hard to ensure the event is a success. This means giving their time, efforts, interest and loyalty to support their community, Genoa.

Those who volunteer and drive to Genoa from other areas to help do not ask for anything in return, just fun and friendship. Wages " "No!"

This event was never taken advantage of to promote personal gain by allowing "illegal" vendors to set up on private property by property owners not included within the venue (illegal vendors who did not register, pay their booth space, or abide by the Candy Dance policies).

Proceeds from this event are used for town streets, maintenance, town-owned building improvements and upkeep, drainage, wages, and many other town projects that benefit Genoa residents to make the town a better place to live.

Genoa is a beautiful clean community with a majority of wonderful people. We also have a colorful Candy Dance history with vendor trusted policies.

In recent years, some wish to cash in on the event to make money for themselves. Is this right? Is this fair to those volunteers who work so hard? I don't think so.

Are these greedy people risking the future of Candy Dance and Genoa's independence? The only answer is yes.

As a resident of Genoa, I take responsibility for the above statement.

Billie J. Rightmire

Genoa

Editor:

There's a lot in Ms. Griffith's letter with which I agree, but I suggest she omits one important factor and possibly the most important one " that of individual responsibility.

Candidates for federal office are pre-selected by the major parties; sometimes with the help of a primary election.

Are the individuals running those parties (officers of the parties, yes, but also the activist members) fulfilling their responsibilities to select competent but above all honest people to receive the party stamp of approval and be submitted to the electorate's judgment? Or are they merely interested in winning elections, with the power and perquisites that follow?

We, the electors in general, are we fulfilling our responsibilities to take the time to vote in elections, whether primary or final?

If we don't fulfill our responsibility to turn out and vote, we have to take at least part responsibility for the quality of those elected. If we don't like any of the candidates (understandably), we can always vote "none of the above," to make our voices heard.

Or are we not voting, either through laziness or hoping to avoid feeling any responsibility for what "those people are doing?"

Voting isn't the end. If you're unhappy with your representative's actions, write, telephone or email him and tell him what you think.

The shamefully low turn-out in the recent Douglas County primaries adds weight to my questions.

Democracy can't work well if voters prefer to watch TV (or something).

D. H. E. Dicconson

Gardnerville

Editor:

In life there are many little things we have to learn. It mostly starts with holding a spoon straight so everything goes in the right way.

When we go to school we learn how to be on time and learn how to speak or to be quiet. When we finally reach the age of driving a car our instructor told us that making a left or right turn we should always give notice by putting our direction lights on.

He also told us that when we drive with children and adults we have to do this because we are risking their lives when they are in the car.

This should not only be done when a policeman is in front or back of us, but always, even in a right or left lane, because the person across the street cannot see if you are going straight or making a turn.

Then we know in the summertime when fire is always around us and a person who put his ashes out of the window, which can cause a fire. Not only that, the end of a cigarette can be done just as a habit throwing things out of a car.

Those are small items but they have a very good option to become big. So don't forget the so-called small things at any time of your life.

Garry den Heyer

Minden

Editor:

Congratulations to the Topaz Lake Volunteer Fire Department on their annual fundraising event Aug. 31. What a wonderful job they did. The band was terrific, the raffle so much fun with an auction, the immense plates of excellent food and the courteous volunteers themselves.

It's a tremendous amount of work to set this up and all the profit goes back into the fire department. These are our wonderful men and women who are there for us all the time, whether fires, accidents or trauma. To all of them, thank you. And good job, well done.

Jane Cather

Gardnerville

Editor:

It seems to cost more and more for just about everything nowadays. But to help save money on your vehicle maintenance, it's very simple. Just follow the manufacturer's recommendations listed in the owner's manual. The vehicles today are designed to save on maintenance. Oils are more superior than in the past, coolant is long life, and spark plugs have a long replacement intervals.

There are some places that perform chemical services rather than do the manufacturer's recommended service and I have never seen a chemical service renew a timing belt or refurbish spark plugs and if you have questions about the chemicals to be put in your vehicle you can call the vehicle's manufacturer's hotline and ask them about it.

I have been in the automotive industry for approximately 30 years now, and I have seen many changes in the vehicles of today that help in lowering the cost of maintaining the vehicles.

Tom Bishow

Gardnerville

Editor:

Barbara Griffiths is 100 percent correct. The old $3 trillion debt that was on the books at the end of Reagan's term is now $9 trillion. We all know that if debt sits there " it doubles. Congress has not made even a single payment against the national debt.

But I do think your vote will make a difference this time. I am a staunch Republican but I'd be the first to admit that the Republican party has failed on this issue.

As a matter of fact the thing I like most about Clinton was that he cut the budget deficit in half. But McCain is the only senator in the Congress that has not voted for pork barrel spending for his state (Obama and Biden have both brought plenty of pork barrel funding to their states). McCain also disagrees with the $730 billion in foreign aid that we dish out each year. I'm equally pleased that Sarah Palin reversed the budget in her state of Alaska, it was running a deficit and now it is running a surplus. And, she even refused federal spending that she thought was wasteful. I think their pragmatic attitude is just what our country needs. I'm hoping that this time our vote will lead to change.

Autum Resney

Gardnerville

Editor:

Is it just fine with my fellow Nevadans that Mr. Barack Obama plans on folding the Second Amendment into a paper airplane and call it his defense plan for our nation? Ok, I'll just go with the Second Amendment for now and leave his defense plan for someone else to pick on, and don't forget the tax plan.

We as law-abiding citizens have a right to keep and bear arms, but just by the skin of our teeth thanks to a recent Supreme Court ruling. They voted to determine if the Second Amendment allowed us as citizens to keep and bear arms, or just the military. Can you believe those clowns took it to a 5-4 vote in favor of citizens? And what do you suppose will happen when Obama appoints just one wildly liberal judge to offset the balance. Here are just a few choice selections from Obama's stance on gun control, and if you don't believe me, look into it for yourself.

He wants to totally eliminate the right of concealed carry nationwide.

He voted to make it possible to prosecute innocent citizens who use firearms in self-defense.

He voted to allow predatory lawsuits intended to bankrupt the firearms industry.

He wants to bring back the failed Clinton assault weapons ban, discredited even by Clinton's own supporters.

He voted to ban virtually every type of rifle ammunition used for hunting and sport.

Liberal or conservative, Dems and Reps alike should recognize the fact that our rights are being attacked one at a time. You support gay marriage? Fine, it doesn't affect me one way or another. Taxes? There is no escape either way. Abortion? You and your conscience can hash that out, but back off the amendments please. Those are not for us to disregard, they are for future generations to know what America is all about, not to mention defend our families and country from threats, foriegn and domestic.

Michael McQuain

Gardnerville

Editor:

It was an Olympic summer at the Douglas County Public Library. Records were broken as 976 children signed up for "Catch the Reading Bug @ Your Library."

The generosity of the local business community was incredible. Jimmy Mickler at Pizza Barn, Dane Hedlund at Cold Stone Creamery, Tena Yarbrough at Arby's, and Kathy Bouche at Dairy Queen donated gift certificates for our prize bags. The Carson Valley Swim Center provided swim passes for all participants. John Mauricio at Staples donated items for the prize bags. Round Table Pizza donated personal pizzas to all finishers. Raffle prizes of a $50 gift certificate from Wal-Mart, tae kwon do lessons from Northwest Martial Arts and a birthday party from Silver Spirit All-Star Cheer and Dance Club were drawn by Douglas County School Superintendent Carol Lark. David Walley's Resort Hot Springs and Spa donated a raffled day pass for two to a lucky parent who motivated their child to complete the 25-day reading program.

Community volunteers who gave of themselves were: Dennis Little, who shared his hobby of origami; teens Laura Kruse, Katie Missamore, Steven Hennefer, Selena Ketter, David Harris, Natalie Hartman, Jo Ann Hartman, Gabe Hartman, and Isaiah Echavarria for helping at the children's desk and a million other tasks. Linda Class and Duncan Deacy pitched in with computer work to organize the program. A special thank-you to Hank Paxson at Raley's for donating supplies to make the best ice cream in the world for Smokey Bear's birthday. Thanks to Stacy Saucedo from the U.S. Forest Service Carson Ranger District and Rick Thielmann for portraying Smokey. It was a great ice cream party.

And thanks to our partner agencies: the parks and recreation department for the use of Lampe Park all summer for storytime and the Town of Minden for the use of the CVIC Hall.

Thank you to the educators and school librarians who promoted the program with their students. Congratulations to all the participants of the "Catch the Reading Bug @ Your Library" program. What an accomplishment.

The Record-Courier did an outstanding job publicizing the library's special events. Thanks to Shannon Litz, Sarah Hall and Amy Roby.

Thank you to all of these people and businesses for enriching the lives of Douglas County children. The library could not have run such a well received program without you.

Happy Reading.

Library Services Coordinator

Carol Nageotte

Youth Services Librarian Kathy Echavarria

Teen Services Librarian Maria Hinsen

Minden