Letters

We’re all grown up

Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.

I’m both the worst guy to write about our 21st anniversary and the best. I’m the best because I was here on the first masthead of the Reno News & Review on Feb. 22, 1995. (I was also on the first masthead of its progenitor, Nevada Weekly, Nov. 17, 1993.) I’m the worst because I’m not a sentimental person. I’m mostly embarrassed or humbled when I think of myself in context of what this newspaper has done and has been in this community. In many ways, this newspaper caused the Reno that exists today.

The biggest battles we fought, we lost. The two biggest were our efforts to save the Mapes Hotel and against the train trench. I can think of a hundred little battles we won, but the Mapes and the train trench still sting because, after all these years, I still believe we were right.

But we helped build this community over the last 21 years—particularly the arts community—in many ways. We helped build it by covering it, by making it real with our ink and our efforts. There was one theater troupe in Reno when we started. There was no Artown. Burning Man was a couple hundred San Francisco people in the desert. The only city arts organization was Sierra Arts. I can’t remember more than two or three places that had regular local live music.

So, congratulations to us. Still vibrant, still shaking things up. We’re 21, feel free to buy us a cocktail next time you see us out.

To celebrate our local impact—and ourselves—this year, we’re making our local concert series truly local. For the first time ever, all the bands in Rollin’ on the River are going to be local. It’s going to be awesome. (For details, check out the ad on page 21.) This seems to me to be another great chance to buy drinks for all the people who’ve been associated with this paper for 21 years. I think there’s about five of us.

Every week, I think, “One of these weeks will be my last.” Man, 21 years seems like both forever ago and yesterday. —D. Brian Burghart brianb@newsreview.com

Heads up

In 2015 the Nevada Legislature thankfully made some changes to the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS). Unfortunately, other storm clouds are on the horizon for current pensions of retired Nevada employees. Cases in point: 1.) The funding ratio of PERS in year 2000 was over 84 percent. Currently, it is under 72 percent. That means if all the systems benefits came due today, PERS would only be able to pay 72 cents on the dollar! 2.) In the 1990s it took around 19.5 percent of one’s salary to keep PERS solvent. Each employer and employee now contributes 28 percent of the employee’s salary to the fund each year. 3.) The Wall Street Journal on Sept. 5, 2015 had an article on why several states had come to a logical conclusion—that to project eight percent return or more on the pensioners’ money is not realistic.

Unfortunately Nevada did not heed this advice and still claims it can earn 8 percent a year. From Jan. 1, 2006 to Feb. 1, 2016 (over 10 years) PERS has had a rate of return of only about 6 percent for its pensioners! Timothy Bauer Reno

Project this

Re “Money talkers” (Let freedom ring, Jan.28):

Brendan Trainor’s Jan. 28 column contains a major mistake regarding population projections. Trainor states that “Asian-Americans will supplant Latinos and African-Americans as the largest minority in the U.S. by 2050.” According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2050, the U.S. will be composed of the following: White (non-Hispanic) 46.3 percent, Hispanic 30.2 percent, Black 13 percent, Asian 7.8 percent, American Indian and Alaska Native 1.2percent, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 0.3 percent.

Any projections 34 years into the future may be incorrect based on changes in immigration laws, or events such as wars that drive residents to leave a country, etc. But it seems highly unlikely that Asians will surge past blacks or Hispanics in the next few decades. Phillip Kaiser Reno

New math

Re “The Real You” (cover story, Feb. 4):

My mind was drawn to the highlighted box on page 15: “Finding out I am one-tenth Japanese…” is just not possible. Unless there is some form of human procreation that I am not aware of, one cannot be one-tenth in ancestry. Because of the pairing of human DNA, the denominator of the fraction must be a power of two: 2, 4, 8, 16, etc. The RN&R, usually good in editorial proofing, may be a victim of today’s widespread mathematical innumeracy. David Von Seggern Reno

Living in the past

Re “Rock’n Caucus” (cover story, Jan 28): Kudos to Dennis Myers for this timely and wonderfully informative feature presentation that lucidly recounted and put into context not only Nevada’s history with its primaries and caucuses, but also that history in relation to those of the other states, in a way that I found truly remarkable. Myers brought the past into the present by thoughtfully highlighting the course of this development and pointing to the competing interests between (and within) the national political parties that drove the process.

As an inveterate newspaperreader of over 60 years, I honestly don’t recall reading a more measured, well-developed, and readable newspaper account on any comparable topic. It seemed as if every time something seemingly confusing arose, Myers was beforehand with his readers, being very quick to dispel the mystery.

I would, however, be much less complimentary towards the proof-readers and editors who ran this story, listing the dates of the Democratic and Republican caucuses as Jan. 20 and Jan. 23 respectively, rather than the correct dates of Feb. 20 and Feb. 23.

Robert Palgon Sparks

Dennis Myers replies: The same person who was responsible for the good parts of the story was also responsible for the error. I made the mistake in writing and then we all missed it in proof.

STAR wars

I am so tired of hearing what a “great legal mind” Antonin Scalia had. My brother has a “great legal mind.” In fact, he should have been a lawyer because he can rationalize and justify anything. Just the kind of person to have on your side if you want to go to war. More important to have is a great heart, which, by the way, my brother also has. Really glad to see Scalia go. He will be remembered for the legal maneuver that stopped the Florida recount and put his friends, George and Dick in the White House, a move that has cost us dearly and for which we are still paying.

And now the Senate Republicans want to wait a whole year to replace him? Does that show respect for the Constitution? Unbelievable. We need to kick these guys out come November.

Jon Obester Reno

Correction

Re “Cut the county sales tax” (editorial, Feb. 11):

We reported that the Public Schools Overcrowding and Repair Needs Committee is a body of the Washoe County School District. It is not. The committee’s agendas are posted on the school district website because the district is required by statute to provide administrative support for it.

Erik Holland

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