Letters

October surprise

Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.

When a billionaire, who owns the state’s largest newspaper, and a governor, who loves to give away money to his corporate cronies, team up to rob hundreds of millions of Nevada taxpayer dollars, I feel it’s important to raise a voice of dissent. The Raiders stadium deal is bad for Nevada, and every legislator who voted in favor of it needs to be voted

out of office.

We’ve got more coverage of this historic bamboozle throughout the issue. But I want to thank our designer Meg Larkin for the excellent job she did with our cover illustration. She did a great job of turning a harebrained concept into a striking realization. Similarly, our peerless news editor, Dennis Myers, did great work putting together a meticulous feature story.

In other news, Election Day is finally almost here. It’s disheartening how negative some of the local races have been. For example, I recently received a nasty mailer from Victor Salcido’s campaign that was so full of vitriol directed at his opponent, Jenny Brekhus, that it clearly demonstrated that Salcido is unfit to serve on Reno’s city council.

On the other hand, the presidential campaign has been so entertaining that I’ll miss following it. But I’m not sure Donald Trump ever really had much intention of winning. I mean, sure, when the race was close, he probably started to believe in his own image as a fascist savior, but I think his presidential bid was always motivated by something else.

His recent rhetorical pivot away from actually trying to win the election to instead complaining about the “rigged” system reveals his real motivation: His presidential bid is a publicity stunt to launch a new media company.

His background is partly in TV, after all, and his current roster of campaign advisers includes Steve Bannon of right-wing Breitbart News, and he’s even been meeting with Roger Ailes, the former head of Fox News. (I first encountered this theory in a column by the New Yorker’s John Cassidy.)

And the prospect of a Trump News Network is almost as terrifying as a Trump presidency.

Bet we do

Re “Vote against” (Notes from the Neon Babylon, Sept. 22):

Now you’ve gone too far, Van Dyke! Telling us to run out and vote Democratic. Low end Demos have had enough. No white man can even find the fruit factory any more. That’s not you out looking for rockbottom jobs around Reno (might look like you), but no, you’re probably out, way out of town on a ranch with that pot pipe. Ask the bottom half what they want. Guns (hey, if the pres is armed and crazy…), jobs and a big fence. If all the newcomers to this country were journalists, then—hmm, how would you feel? Bet you don’t publish this one. Ha! Laurie Sherrill longview, Wa.

One man’s spoof

Re “Best of Northern Nevada Winners Guide” (supplement, Oct. 6):

In this political season of hyperbole, hypocrisy and hoax, the RN&R’s “Best Of” issue fits right in. The problem with this spoof issue is that many people take it seriously, not in the spirit of ballot stuffing, and nepotism for advertisers, with which it is so clearly constructed. Much like the national election, it’s funny. But it’s not.

Dean Hinitz Reno

Sales tax

Re “Stop Making Cents,” (cover story, Sept. 22):

Rather interesting, however some important data is missing. U.S. Labor Department wage calculator shows that families earning minimum wage have less than 20 percent purchases that are taxable. There is high correlations for federal and/or state aid. You fail to mention that 37.4 percent of items in Washoe County are actually taxable. You fail to mention that sales tax is deductible on you federal return if you itemize. You fail to mention the following: “Much of the state’s general fund is supported by taxing the gaming industry in tandem with hotel occupancy taxes, so the overall burden is diffused away from residents of the Silver State to those more easily able to pay. In terms of real savings, a family of three earning $25,000 will save $266 a year in tax burdens over the average American city dweller, and a family of four bringing in $150,000 can expect to bank over $6,300 in savings, which makes Reno the third lowest in the nation for tax payments.”

You fail to mention the Senate Bill 411 committee spent 11 months looking at every possible solution, property taxes, room taxes, real estate transfer tax, developers fee. All in all sales tax was the best. You don’t mention that Nevada Revised Statutes has a property tax cap, no developer fees for our area and they require all school districts to come up with their own funding methods for capital infrastructure. The larger the town the higher the property taxes, so in an effort to compare apples with apples, contrast Reno’s 220,000 populations against cities of similar sizes yields the following comparisons.”

Finally, as usual with the opponents of WC-1, you fail to offer a solution for the overcrowding, the 10,000 new students coming to our area, the backlogged repairs. Why not write an article with your solutions. Until then we need to embrace WC1 as it the only viable solution. While it’s a good article, you fail to mention important facts. Jack Bauer Reno

Re “Stop Making Cents,” (cover story, Sept. 22): Dennis Myers’ story has, once again, reminded us of our humanity. Yes, the schools are disgustingly overcrowded, and yes, we need money to fix the problem. But as Myers so eloquently pointed out, we are raising money on the backs of the poorest people. I can remember as a young mother having absolutely no money until payday and having to steal peaches from a tree so we could eat. Taxing every citizen the same amount regardless of their income is poor tax policy. The legislature appointed committees to study the problem over the years and eventually tried to fix it, but the governor vetoed their plan. I’m voting yes on WC-1, but I agree with Myers. It isn’t a fair tax. Thanks for reminding us.

Mary Lee Fulkerson 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, Matt Bieker, Bob Grimm, Anna Hart, Ashley Hennefer, Shelia Leslie, Eric Marks, Jose Olivares, Jessica Santina, Todd South, Luka Starmer, 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 Alex Barskyy, Bob Christensen, Camilla Downs, Debbie Frenzi, Gary White, Jennifer Cronin, Jennifer Gangestad, Marty Lane, Marty Troye, Patrick L’Angelle, Tracy Breeden, Vicki Jewell

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