Letters to the Editor, March 3

Welcome signs don't represent Carson City

Please forgive me for raining on the parade, but I was so underwhelmed by our city's new entry statements that I just had to express myself.

Two common-looking stone pillars weakly clutch innocuous blue license plates having hard-to-read fonts that acknowledge in and out travel through Carson City - these inauspicious monuments suggest nothing of the character of this city as an historic town, recreation mecca, open space treasure trove and artsy enclave. They are not any more expressive of our city than a sign for a bank or office building.

The dreadful, uncoordinated rubble around the base of these mini billboards does hit on something, though. Rock. Ah, there is an emblem of Carson City. Throughout our fair metropolis, you will find rock drearily used in lieu of landscaping, vehicle barriers, terrain rehabilitation and for no apparent reason at all. Big gray boulders seem to drop from the sky here.

Then there are everlasting temporary signs - oh, what an opportunity was missed in not using faded, wagging, sagging rags at our city's entries since they outnumber permanent signs along our main streets by at least three to one.

These signs are not entry statements. They do not fulfill the intended purpose of portraying the cherished assets of our community as was first conceived at public planning meetings. They are just signs communicating little to travelers except where they are as they pass us by.

Beth W. Scott

Carson City

Muth needs to get a clue about unemployed

An open letter to Chuck Muth, who is dog-dare ignorant:

In regards to your laughable column "The harsh reality of the unemployed," it's time you got off your self-appointed throne and quit making stupid judgments. You speak of the war hero who lost three limbs. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. However, the fact remains, he gets a pension, free medical, etc. Sad, but true.

On the other hand, I've spent seven years working with folks who have disabilities, some minor, others more severe. Most of them have been laid off. Many are auto mechanics, machinists, warehouse workers, waitresses, etc. Some have filled out over 1,000 applications, online and in person. They've signed up with every temp employment agency in town, not even a single interview. These folks are not drunks and addicts, standing on street corners begging for money. They just want to work for minimum wage.

You probably have a nice pension plan, stock portfolio, IRA, etc. I don't know and couldn't care less. This is Carson City, not Los Angeles. There are no jobs here. I would love to see you get out there looking for work eight hours a day and getting rejected at every turn.

Get out from behind your hand-carved mahogany desk and quit judging people. Your column is complete verbal tartuffery. Contempt, prior to investigation, is the height of ignorance. Yes, I mean you. By the way, I am a registered and card-carrying Republican, so don't even go there.

Terry McGruder

Carson City