Letters

Unnatural election

Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.

The presidential election race this year is so bizarre—historic, aggravating and surreal—that it’s even easier than usual to overlook what’s happening in the so-called “down-ticket” races. I know 8-year-olds who can tell you 20 surprising facts about both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, but can’t name a single member of their hometown’s city council—let alone which of those members are tangled up in contentious reelection bids. Hell, I know 40-year-olds who are the same way.

With that in mind, we’re launching a new weekly feature in this week’s issue—Elections 2016. In every issue between now and Nov. 8, we’ll examine an election race, from the U.S. Senate race to local city council contests, that could seriously affect the lives of folks in our region, arguably far more directly than the presidential race.

This week, we’re launching the series with a story about the race in Nevada Assembly District 31, which includes a big chunk of Sparks and the North Valleys. This race is between Republican Jill Dickman and Democrat Richard “Skip” Daly.

Our focus for these stories isn’t so much “who’s ahead?” horseracing stats for oddsmakers, but rather short profiles of the candidates themselves and, even more importantly, their policy differences on issues like education tax bills, voter ID laws, and Second Amendment issues. The idea is to give us all some actual nuts and bolts to use when building our decisions in the voting booths.

The bad news is that, in order to make room for these election stories, we’ve had to drop our weekly Green column—at least temporarily. But don’t worry, environmental issues are very important to us here at the RN&R, and we’re dedicated to continuing to cover issues like wildlife protection, water management, sustainable farming and climate change research, but those kinds of stories will appear in other parts of the paper, as in news this week.

—Brad Bynum bradb@newsreview.com

Why the heck is Joe in the Army?

Re “Why is Joe Heck in the army?” (cover story, August 25):

He’s in the army because he’s into the action of the Armed Forces, and it’s a good reference following his name and rank as a legislator. But there’s a sound reason this is forbidden by the U.S. Constitution. Mr. Heck wants to take over Harry Reid’s position but doesn’t think it should take 100 percent of his time. To maintain his military commitment “is very important to me,” he has stated. Like, his position as a senator won’t be that important or time consuming. Should it be?

Yes, it should be. He wishes to specialize in being a Nevada senator, where he can criticize the president in debate. He can’t do that in the Army Reserves. There are other things that are special and exclusive to each branch of service. To specialize in being a senator is not a parttime job. To fulfill the role of separating the duties of membership in each branch is a lame duck endeavor.

Herein it appears that Mr. Heck is trying to superimpose what is most dutiful to the leadership of our land. The job of being a senator is truly never complete. To stop and say, “Ah, let’s worry about all that stuff later. I wanna be in the Army for a little while.” ... The more you can accomplish for the people whom you represent and are working for, that’s the mark of viability as a congressman. Do you need stimulating contrast? Isn’t the job of being a senator enough? You must make it that way, and get into it, Mr. Heck.

But are there legal roadblocks to some of the pursuits you deem imperative? What you should be doing is verifying why being a Nevada senator is completely full-time. Can you do this? If not, perhaps you should be looking for something else to occupy your free time. Steve Smythe Reno

Outstanding article, very comprehensive and very much appreciated. My father was a brigadier general, an appointment which he received Brevit, after a long and storied career in the military. The military was my father’s only full-time career. My uncle, also—full time, regular army, active duty colonel, fought in WWII, two tours in Vietnam—died without ever reaching brigadier general. Both had more decades in the military than Heck, and with plenty of major commands. So, personally, I’m not a fan of Heck, and was actually a bit curious about his advancement from colonel to brigadier general after entering Congreess, when it is almost unheard-of for a reservist to be appointed to general.

I was shocked a couple of years ago, when I read he was being considered, and then I know it was held up for a long time. It really smelled bad to me, and then for him to have a command in Georgia, all the while representing the 3rd district (my home district). What is his intent, if/when he becomes Senator Heck? It’s also so weird, his “I hate the President” as Rep. Heck, but, he can’t denigrate the commander in chief as BG Heck. And, does Heck keep going after the next star, to pad the retirement coffers a bit deeper? If you do any more writing on this subject, could I be notified? Thanks!!!

Nancy Edwards las Vegas

Then there’s the licit drugs

The rising prices of prescriptions is a reason we can no longer afford to ignore this election. Drug companies have no accountability or transparency in their pricing methodology, and this will continue to cause healthcare costs to rise. High drug prices put many people at risk of losing everything when loved ones must seek lifesaving treatments that carry an exorbitant price tag.

I have family who use medications with fairly stable prices. Even so, it remains a struggle for them to afford these prescriptions. As we’ve seen with Valeant, Turing and other drug companies, they can raise drug prices without accountability. As someone who will one day help pay for my mother’s healthcare, this hits home. The current arbitrary system of prescription drug prices puts middle-class families in peril; changes in drug prices could have dire consequences. And no one should be put in a situation where they can’t afford their drugs.

If these companies are using tax dollars for their R&D, they should be accountable to the public. I urge Congress to enact common sense legislation including pricing transparency so drug companies can be held accountable when they raise prices exorbitantly overnight. Scott McFadden Reno

ERIK HollAND

Our Mission: To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live. Editor Brad Bynum News Editor Dennis Myers Special Projects Editor Jeri Chadwell-Singley Arts Editor Kris Vagner Calendar Editor Kelley Lang Contributors Amy Alkon, Josie Luciano, Bob Grimm, Anna Hart, Ashley Hennefer, Shelia Leslie, Eric Marks, Jessica Santina, Todd South, Brendan Trainor, Bruce Van Dyke, Allison Young Design Manager Lindsay Trop Art Directors Brian Breneman, Margaret Larkin Marketing/Publications Manager Serene Lusano Marketing/Publications Designer Sarah Hansel Production Coordinator Skyler Smith Designer Kyle Shine Senior Advertising Consultants Gina Odegard, Bev Savage Advertising Consultant Emily Litt Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Manager/Operations Coordinator Kelly Miller Distribution Assistant and Driver Denise Cairns Distribution Drivers Tracy Breeden, Alex Barskyy, Bob Christensen, Camilla Downs, Debbie Frenzi, Jennifer Gangestad, Vicki Jewell, Patrick L’Angelle, Marty Lane, Marty Troye, Warren Tucker, Gary White President/CEO Jeff VonKaenel Director of Nuts & Bolts Deborah Redmond Marketing/Promotions/Facilities Manager Will Niespodzinski Executive Coordinator Jessica Takehar Project Coordinator Natasha VonKaenel Director of People & Culture David Stogner Director of Dollars & Sense Nicole Jackson Payroll/AP Wizard Miranda Dargitz Accounts Receivable Specialist Kortnee Angel Sweetdeals Coordinator Courtney DeShields Nuts & Bolts Ninja Christina Wukmir Senior Support Tech Joe Kakacek Developer John Bisignano, Jonathan Schultz System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins

N&R Publications Editor Michelle Carl N&R Publications Associate Editor Kate Gonzales N&R Publications Writer Anne Stokes Cover Design: Margaret Larkin Cover Photo: Kris Vagner 405 Marsh Ave.,Third Floor, Reno, NV 89509 Phone (775) 324-4440 Fax (775) 324-2515 Website www.newsreview.com Got a News Tip? Fax (775) 324-2515 Calendar Events www.newsreview.com/calendar Want to Advertise? Fax (775) 324-2515 or rnradinfo@newsreview.com Classified Fax (916) 498-7910 or classifieds@newsreview.com Job Opportunities jobs@newsreview.com Want to Subscribe to RN&R? renosubs@newsreview.com

Editorial Policies: Opinions expressed in rn&r are those of the authors and not of Chico Community Publishing, Inc. Contact the editor for permissions to reprint articles, cartoons, or other portions of the paper. rn&r is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or review materials. Email letters to rnrletters@ newsreview.com. all letters received become the property of the publisher. We reserve the right to print letters in condensed form and to edit them for libel.

Advertising Policies: all advertising is subject to the newspaper’s Standards of acceptance. The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes the responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message.

rn&r is printed at Sierra nevada media on recycled newsprint. Circulation of rn&r is verified by the Circulation Verification Council. rn&r is a member of CnPa, aan and aWn.