June 24 2021, R-C Letters to the Editor

Chamber director is an unsung hero

Editor:

I write this letter to spotlight Alicia Main. She is an unsung hero in our community. The following quote by Joe DiMaggio, former New York Yankees outfielder and Hall of Fame baseball player makes me think of the type of leadership that Alicia exemplifies: “A person always doing his or her best becomes a natural leader, just by example.”

Alicia portrays her excellence in leadership qualities in the following ways.

Family is the most important part of her life. She is a mother of two. She is showing them how to be a great leader, guide, mentor and compassionate role model. She coaches their sporting organizations. She is a mentor to not only her own children, but her children’s friends. She has the home where all the kids want to hang out. She exudes joy, love, and pride for her children. She is an incredible example that we can all learn from just by her natural style. 

Leadership Douglas County is successful in large part because of Alicia. She demonstrates her commitment to growing the future leaders of our community because of her passion for people. What an incredible leader for us all to learn from. She leads with passion, care, compassion and a desire to see people grow and develop to strengthen the entire Carson Valley area in all industries.

The Chamber of Commerce Carson Valley thrives under Alicia’s direction. Alicia takes care of all of her responsibilities with a seamless balance. She takes care of the entire community by guiding the Chamber of Commerce with grace. No task is too great or too small for her. She embraces the importance of serving the community with so much compassion. She takes on the PPE responsibilities for the businesses throughout the community. She looks for innovative ways to teach the leadership class without missing a beat in her efforts to take care of her many other responsibilities.

Alicia’s influence and impact ripples throughout our community, making it a better place to live. What an inspiration!

Patricia Schille

Gardnerville

You don’t have to like change

Editor:

The Buddhists teach us to embrace change. OK, I can do that. So, I went to Lampe Park for Carson Valley Days for an Indian Taco. It was absolutely terrible. No meat, a few beans and mostly lettuce on the worst fried bread I’ve ever had. As I threw it away, I thought back on the tacos those old Indian ladies used to make. They cooked them on old, beat-up Coleman camp stoves in cast iron frying pans, and they were so good you’d stand in line for seconds while you were eating the first one. And I remembered back even further when I think it was the 20-30 club who would barbecue a few steers and cook up a huge vat of beans and feed the whole valley for free. 

But it’s different now and that’s OK. You have to embrace change. 

I’ve lived in Carson Valley for 50 years now, so I grabbed an $8 lemonade and walked around the park looking for old friends. I wandered around for an hour and never saw anyone I knew. 

And that’s OK too because I’ve learned to embrace these changes.

I have Carson Valley Day badges dating back to the mid-70s and if anything epitomizes the changes made to the Valley by the influx of Californians it would be the motif for the one they put out this year. No mining, ranching, gambling, dairy farming or Basque sheepherders are featured on this one. No sunrise over the Pinenuts, no sage or wild horses either. Nothing at all on the rich history that made our valley what it is today. No, the theme this year was, “In a Galaxy Far Far Away.” Only someone from the Silicon Valley could equate Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia to Carson Valley Days. I was tempted to not even buy one.

But it’s all OK because the Buddhists have taught me to embrace the changes. I just wish they would teach me how to like them.

Bob Murray

Gardnerville

Douglas should be Constitutional County

Editor:

On June 2, Elko County commissioners voted unanimously to pass Resolution No. 2021-19 to become the second constitutional county in Nevada and join the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association. Wasn’t their sheriff already a member? Earlier, all but one of the commissioners in Lander County voted to pass a similar resolution. These resolutions support counties upholding the Bill of Rights and perhaps not enforcing unconstitutional federal and state laws, executive orders, mandates, etc. Examples may include gun control and virus restrictions. The two-page Elko Resolution No. 2021-19 public document, including signatures of all five commissioners, is easily accessible with an internet search.

If Douglas commissioners doubt that a majority of their constituents support making Douglas a constitutional county, then why don’t they at least put this issue on the ballot? Even better, they should represent their constituents now by passing a similar resolution for Douglas County. Commissioners in counties other than Elko or Lander can, of course, point to the oath of office they took to uphold the constitution as an excuse for not passing a Constitutional County Resolution. However, haven’t politicians and judges routinely violated their oaths of office with impunity? Chief Justices Roberts and Warren, Presidents Obama, Clinton and Biden all took oaths of office that they would uphold the Constitution? What were their track records? County commissioners can also use the excuse that their sheriffs already belong to the CSPOA and have not asked them to pass a county resolution. Isn’t this just another weak excuse? Are not the Elko and Lander constitutional county resolutions much stronger protections of citizen rights and freedoms described in the Bill of Rights?

Of course, passing a constitutional county resolution may require Douglas commissioners to prioritize the rights of their constituents over the dictatorial demands of left wing, Marxist Democrat legislators at federal and state levels, as well as those of the president and governor. Douglas County may not then get some matching or other funds that have strings attached from left wing federal and Nevada sources, controlled by Marxists. 

Five Douglas commissioners may have to work even harder initially than they do now. 

Also, some courage may be required, although certainly much less than that already displayed by trailblazing Elko and Lander County commissioners.

Roger Adam

Genoa

Thanks for defending siren

Editor:

A special thanks to Sanford Deyo for his letter, “Leave the siren alone,” published in The RC June 17.Deyo’s letters are always well written with respect and proper research done. Deyo stated all the things I wanted to write. Unlike me, he was able to express his thoughts, facts and understanding in such an eloquent way.

In that same publication, Sue Cauhape with CERT wrote a very good article helping citizens become aware of what to do in preparation for an evacuation situation and prior. 

I had the pleasure of working with Sue when Douglas County first started the Citizen Emergency Response Team. 

She is very knowledgeable, and her article should be taken seriously. We live in an area that is prone to emergencies such as: flood, fire, and earthquake. 

Preparation is key

Thanks again for those fine articles from the authors and to Kurt Hildebrand, editor for publishing them.

Beverly Giannopulos

Minden

Workers need a living wage

Editor:

I would like to respond to Dan Paterson’s letter regarding “Paying people not to work.” Paterson’s first sentence, “...too few Americans are willing to work for a living” contains the essence of the issue. 

I believe that most Americans are very willing to work for a living. The problem is that the jobs offered do not offer a ‘living” wage. I would venture to guess that if folks could work and be able to afford housing, food, day care, insurance etc. employers would have no trouble finding employees. 

Judy Monchamp

Gardnerville

Where to start?

Editor:

In response to Irene Rice’s Letter to the Editor dated June 17 it’s difficult to know where to begin. 

This being a democracy and the right of each individual to have their own opinion and the idea that we now have a president who “takes truth over facts” (whatever that means), here goes. 

Who exactly are these 100 experts on democracy who are accusing Republicans of trying to destroy our country and how do they feel about stacking the Supreme Court? 

Giving statehood status to the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico? Allowing illegal aliens to vote in American elections? Aren’t these proposals a direct assault on our democracy?

I must have missed where President Trump demanded to win Georgia of election officials and that they should do his bidding. 

Frankly, I find these revelations absurd. As to the issue of voter suppression, I find it hard to believe that in requiring a voter ID is any way or form a tool of suppressing the vote. To me that is a slap in the face of Blacks that the Democrats don’t think their constituents are smart enough to get a national ID.

It is worthy to note that in Mexico a proof of citizenship (ID) is required of all persons who vote. Having need of an ID to drive, cash a check, or purchase liquor, but not to vote is ludicrous. 

Rice doesn’t seem to have a clue how our judicial system works when she says that no proof is required to overturn an election result. 

The mere thought that fraud may have occurred is not enough to overturn the results of an election. 

But when more ballots were cast than eligible voters in certain districts and there is evidence of ballots being photocopied, the wheels of justice need to start spinning and rightfully so.

We must keep in mind that in a democracy not everyone is going to agree and we each have a right to express our opinion and vote according to our beliefs, but the main impediment to our country and our freedoms is not having fair and honest elections. 

As Josef Stalin so famously said “the people who cast the votes don’t determine an election, the people who count the votes do.”

Dan Paterson

Gardnerville