Letters to the Editor July 5

Congress, not president who has control of budget

In a letter to the editor published June 3, from Will Houk, of Carson City, Mr. Houk stated that Reagan raised taxes three times, and all Republican presidents since had done so. And while it's true that taxes were raised on their watches, presidents cannot raise taxes. Again, that is, not.

Under the U.S. Constitution, a president submits a budget to Congress. Then Congress can accept the president's recommendation or deny it, and it's quite often the latter. As a matter of fact, it was a Democrat majority Congress that passed the budgets under Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush that raised taxes.

So, before you blame any president, please remember that it is Congress, not the president, who under the Constitution has control over the budget and taxes. And that includes veto overides.

Ed Deusenberry

Carson City

Carson CityThe world will be better when we all have healthcare

Mr. Bullis, your column of Sunday, June 19 lamented the Obama Care woes of a family making $90,000, then $130,000 a year, and the hardships this would put upon them.

What I would like to see, Mr. Bullis, is this same scenario for a family making the median income for Nevada which is not $90,000 - most families don't make $90,000 or $130,000 - or, this same scenario for a family who makes less than $30,000 and has no medical insurance because they make too much for Medicaid and not enough to buy health insurance for their family?

Mr. Bullis, you were concerned about how hard it would be on this family if their income went up to $130,000. They would not realize a percentage of their income because it would be going to medical insurance. Cry me a river!

There are people making less than a quarter of this family's income every year who have a very much reduced quality of life in order to provide medical insurance for their family. Then there are those who can't afford it at all. These are the people, the masses, that Obama's Health Care Reform will help - along with those in all income brackets whose insurance companies drop them when they become sick, or won't give them insurance at all because they have a pre-existing condition.

We are the greatest nation in the world and will be greater when we all have healthcare.

Jan Marie Brown

Carson City

Hoping Doerr's new adventure is a success

We would just like to wish the best to Scott Doerr of B'Sghetti's, now Sassafras, on their new venture. What an exciting time to totally re-invent your business, try some of the recipes that you have always wanted to do but did not conform with your earlier menu, and start fresh every day for a new adventure.

After having 14 years of success with B'Sghetti's, I can easily see that he is going to succeed even more with Sassafras, and I will be one of the first to try it.

Thanks for keeping another local restaurant in town Scott.

Ralph Swagler, Locals BBQ & Grill

Carson City

Talk about distracted driving with teens

With the recent passage of SB140, Nevada drivers will be safer without the distraction of texting or handheld cell phone use. A great advance for the state, this is only the beginning to what we can advocate for safer roads.

The center of this conversation should include the newest drivers - teens. This is a good time to discuss safe driving, including this new law, with your teen. It's also an opportunity for Nevada drivers to assess what else is necessary to make the roads even safer.

Roughly, 4,000 teens die each year in auto accidents. That's an average of 11 deaths each day. Stricter driving laws could have saved these young lives and the heartbreak that followed.

Take a stand to encourage Congress to pass the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Act (S. 528 and H.R. 1515). This is a way to give states the guidance to improve safe driving standards for teenagers.

Graduated driver licensing laws curb dangerous behavior and help save lives. The passage of SB140 shows Nevada has taken the initiative to improve driver safety. Other states, however, need more encouragement. We can help save the lives of 11 teens each day through a simple act.

The more we can do to encourage Congress to strengthen their driving laws, the more lives we can help save. Find out more information at www.facebook.com/save11.

Denis Bailey, field senior vice president

Allstate Insurance Company's Southwest Region, Phoenix