Letters to the editor for Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2013

Obama isn’t a statesman; he is a dishonest politician

Barbara Walters in a recent interview said we all thought President Obama would be our messiah. What? He isn’t even a statesman. A statesman is a man who is experienced in government, especially one who shows wisdom, diplomacy, and leadership when dealing with public and foreign policy. A politician is a person who uses questionable means to attain power within a group.

In our nation’s history, we’ve elected both statesman and politicians. In the early days, we elected more statesman and fewer politicians. Now we exclusively elect politicians, and that is why we’re in trouble. A politician thinks of the next election while a statesman thinks of the next generation.

My assessment: Messiah — definitely not. A statesman — no. An untruthful politician — yes.

Inga Silver

Carson City

It’s refreshing to see principal refer to holiday as Christmas

The photos and the caption on the front page of your Dec. 21 issue made my day. The picture showed Fritsch Elementary School Principal Mary Garey reading “Santa Claus and the Three Bears” to her class. The article also stated that she led the students in a sing-along of Christmas carols and read children’s books to celebrate the season.

In this day and age with everyone supposed to be so politically correct, it is refreshing to see a school administrator stand up and call this season what it is, Christmas, and not the winter holidays or whatever other terms people choose to call it. After all, this is still America, and the majority of our citizens prefer merry Christmas instead of happy holidays.

Kudos to Ms. Garey for having the courage to call this time of year what it is. Ms. Garey, I am wishing you, your staff, and your students a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Gary Metz

Carson City