Letters to the Editor for May 15

Proper prescription disposal keeps drugs out of wrong hands

On April 30, dozens of Carson City residents made the extra effort to ensure their unused medications were properly disposed. During Partnership Carson City's Prescription Drug Round Up in collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Agency, 138 pounds of pills were collected, along with 32 pounds of syringes.

The success of this event should be credited to our many community partners: The three SaveMart stores offered their locations as collection sites and assisted with advertising the event. Sixteen volunteers collected medications and syringes at the sites under the supervision of our Carson City Sheriff's Office Reserve deputies, and Ken Arnold with the Carson City Landfill offered to safely dispose of the syringes for us.

On behalf of the Partnership Carson City, I offer my sincerest gratitude to all of you for helping us prevent unused medications from falling into the wrong hands, or damaging our environment. Our next roundup will be in November.

In the meantime, if anyone would like information on proper disposal of medications, please feel free to call us at Partnership Carson City, 841-4730.

Kathlyn Bartosz, executive director

Partnership Carson City

State employee cuts are too much already

Dear Governor,

You sent us two Appreciation e-mails this week for Employee Recognition Week. Thanks for that, but we see this as a stab in the back, especially after the recent pay raises in the Legislature.

You and our Assembly are currently voting on a 5 percent pay cut for your so-called dedicated employees?

We have already endured huge cuts for the past two years. We have had a job step/pay-raise freeze for two years, while the cost of living has gone through the roof. We have had furlough days, 5 percent cut, for two years. At least with furlough days, we got the time back for our families. Our state benefit premiums are about to double. Our deductibles are doubling. Our employee education has been cut.

With my 21 years of expertise, I was hired on a couple years ago at the same rate as we paid college grads with no experience in the commercial world. We already do more in Nevada with fewer employees per capita.

We are constantly being grouped, and our pay is averaged with all of the overpaid upper management, state officials, and public service departments.

There are far better ways to make cuts, and we have been cut so much already. Even keeping things status quo would mean we are going into a third year with huge cuts to the average state employee.

Jerry Nelson

Stateline

Parties not address real problem

Well, the economic geniuses in the Democratic Party have come up with another winner, a winner for the something-for-nothing crowd - that is, a tax hike. Imagine that?

It is amazing that these people have no idea of how the real world works. As a private-sector taxpayer I have some news for them, I am broke. Where in the world am I supposed to get the money to pay for your vote-buying scams?

I have been following the news coming out of Carson City, and I must say, the Republicans aren't much better. Neither party has addressed the real problem facing Nevada - the lack of industrial jobs.

Without a prosperous private sector, well, there just isn't any money for the tax takers. Is there not one elected official in the entire Silver State who understands this?

Bruce Feher

Las Vegas