Letters to the Editor Feb. 27

Editor:

My name is Corky Goldade and I am a volunteer for the American Cancer Society as the mission delivery chair. Since this community gives through the Relay for Life, I feel it is important that the people of our community know where the money is going. So throughout the year I will be submitting letters to keep you informed.

It is also very important that our community knows all about the programs and information that is available to them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, do you know what you need? Not sure where to start?

The ACS has information that can help you understand cancer. Go to www.cancer.org or call (800) 227-2345.

Whether you know what you need, such as a definition of a strange word your doctor used, a wig, or more information on a loved one's treatment options " or you are not sure where to start, call on us.

Our extensively trained specialists help thousands of callers find answers.

You'll always find a warm voice on the other end of the line and they will stay on the phone as long as you need.

Corky Goldade

Minden

Editor:

Having been raised in a small conservative town about the same size as Minden, we were taught very early in life to honor and respect the needs of our elders because it was the right thing to do. After all, they had raised our parents, built the town, dug the coal mines and had won two wars (World War I and the Spanish American War). Even though during the 1930s, times were really tough, this town had a community center where seniors could engage in activities such as dancing, card playing and bowling. It's too bad that this concept doesn't prevail today with the majority of people in Douglas County.

In Douglas County we have at least 200 seniors who are suffering from some level of Alzheimer's disease or dementia, many more who are partially blind and can no longer drive or read and the mobility of even more seniors is hampered by their dependency upon wheelchairs or walkers. A large number of our seniors just sit at home watching TV all day with an occasional weekly visit by a relative, caregiver, meals-on-wheels driver or housekeeper. These seniors are seldom visible to the public since they are limited to occasional visits to church, a casino or the senior center. Before you make the oft quoted self centered statement, "they're not my problem or responsibility," think twice, because you may be taking their place someday.

Our local politicians seem to always recognize the needs of our seniors during their campaigns, but once in office many of them quickly forget their commitments. We're not asking for much. All we want is for Douglas County to restore their senior services to a level which is considered a standard for counties and municipalities in the United States. Is this too much to ask of one of the most affluent counties in our country especially since the seniors of Douglas County pay approximately 50 percent of the residential real estate tax?

Paul Lockwood

Minden

Editor:

About a year and a half ago after living in Gardnerville for 16 years, we decided to move to Knoxville, Tenn., to be close to our youngest daughter and her family. We put our house in Gardnerville up for sale and bought a new home in Knoxville and away we went. However, with the change in the housing market and the bailouts we have not been able to sell in Gardnerville, which I am accepting as a blessing.

Knoxville is no Gardnerville. People here in Knoxville are not as friendly and neighborly as they are in Nevada. We found that we miss our friends in Gardnerville and our neighbors that have been a part of our lives for over 17 years, so Gardnerville we are coming home.

We are in the process of selling our house in Knoxville and heading home around April or May.

Gardnerville we are coming home.

Marlys Fix

Knoxville, Tenn.

Editor:

The Democratic "machine" is alive and well " and its stench grows exponentially.

When Michelle Obama was working for the University of Chicago medical school, her salary jumped from $120K to $317K as soon as Barack became a U.S. senator and proposed an earmark of $1 million for the school. She has now resigned and her "vitally important" position remains vacant.

Obama's appointees "forgot" to pay their taxes. Obviously Obama and his staff did not do a thorough background investigation or the appointees lied to them. They belong in jail for had it been you or me, that is where we would be " our apology would not be accepted.

Sen. Roland Burris continues to build a pyramid of lies. Will we ever know the complete truth? Will he apologize?

Obama's appointees are left over Clinton cronies who set the recession in motion. Where is the change?

Obama promised transparency - the public would have no less than five days to review legislation before any action. Neither Obama nor Congress has even read the entire 600-plus page stimulus bill and we never saw it, yet they passed it and Obama signed it. Where is the transparency?

And the Democrats called Bush a liar and labeled the Bush administration as corrupt?

Stuart L. Posselt

Minden

Editor:

I love history and I love arithmetic. I wonder how well our president did on either one of those subjects in high school or college. Here is my point: General Motors has already received $17 billion in government loans. They have just announced that they will need another $22 billion in order to survive. Now let's do the math. The average price of an automobile is probably around $30,000.

After all their overhead (taxes, wages, insurance, etc, etc.) I don't know what their profit margin has to be, but let's just assume that they make $10,000 on each automobile. Now let's do the math again (I don't have a big enough calculator). For those of you who can, try this: divide $10,000 into $39 billion. It will probably tell you that they will never be able to pay off a loan of that magnitude.

Now look at what Mr. Obama is proposing to cure our economy:

1) Tax cuts for those who do not pay any taxes.

2) Tax increases for those who can least afford it, and for all the small business owners who drive our economy.

3) On top of that he will still spend trillions in government programs.

4) Oh yes there will be some tax cuts by reducing the funding for our military. By doing so, he will be gambling with the security of the United States. In short he has not learned anything from Ronald Reagan or George Bush.

The United States Constitution clearly states that it is the duty of any president to protect and defend the people of the United States from all enemies domestic or foreign. I doubt very much if that can be done with a down-sized military.

Dieter Hoffmann

Coleville