Letters to the Editor Aug. 4

Joseph Strolin's July 20 letter to the editor, "Yucca is not comparable to New Mexico repository," makes one statement I actually agree with after it is out of its context: "The transuranic repository in New Mexico ... site chosen was technically and scientifically suitable." The original sentence suggested that this was not true of Yucca Mountain, which Strolin calls an unsafe and unsuitable site.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff's Technical Evaluation Report, Volume III, comes to the conclusion that the DOE's license application makes a credible case for the proposed system meeting regulatory requirements for up to a million years. Unsafe? Not.

Strolin says the federal government has no money, ignoring that this is an issue being addressed in the Blue Ribbon Commission report as well as in currently proposed legislation. Strolin says: "Even if there were money, Southern Nevada is a terrible location for any type of nuclear facility."

Strolin says a nuclear facility would be destructive to the interests of the state as a whole. What interests of the state as a whole? Others have said the state does not want this huge project because it threatens its tourism industry with gaming as its centerfold.

This industry grew up while a thousand nuclear bombs were set off at approximately the same distance from Las Vegas. This industry is spreading itself very thin, all over the world.

Good luck, Nevada.

Abe Van Luik

Las Vegas

Being a caregiver to the elderly can be challenging, but so very rewarding. It is a gift to want to share your life with the elderly. We hear so much of the negative with caregivers, and not enough about all the good they do.

It is a very emotional time when we have to release an elderly loved one to a caregiver. Our family was very blessed to have met Mike and Norma Childers in our time of need. We entrusted our dad with their care, we settled for nothing but the best for Dad, and they excelled at that. I was a daily observer of my dad's care and the other elderly residents. They were treated with respect and lots of love.

We really can't say enough about the excellent care Mike and Norma provided for our family. We look forward to hearing more of their new venture and anyone fortunate enough to be in their care.

Donna Leslie

Carson City

I have heard on the news and seen in the paper where the Nevada Department of Transportation is trying to get more tax money due to the more fuel-efficient cars burning less fuel and paying less taxes.

Has anyone ever wondered how much money NDOT can needlessly waste by having their upper echelon make decisions based on their oversized egos?

The Galena Creek Bridge in Washoe Valley is a great example. It has taken years of attempts by multiple contractors, and it's still not completed. Why? Because NDOT insisted it be done their way in spite of what the bridge builders had to say.

It is an architect's ego monument, and had no consideration for costs. I wonder how many millions were spent to put in the dirt fill and culvert just to work from, then spend millions more to remove it when it is completed. Maybe it would have made sense to have constructed the road down a little lower so it would cross the creek about where the dirt fill is now, with the multimillion-dollar culvert that will soon be wasted. I feel this was ego money not so well spent.

I had plenty of up-close and personal experience with NDOT heads with oversized egos during my career as a contractor. I saw large amounts spent needlessly only to satisfy an ego. I saw bad judgments that the average non-contractor would never see.

Bill Ramsden

Minden