Letters to the Editor

Writer owns businesses

Against my better judgment I had to respond to Kiernan J. McManus’ letter regarding my business acumen and taking taxpayer funds to support my businesses, but he probably won’t understand it as he clearly doesn’t have any experience in small businesses.

I have several businesses in other parts of the country. All of them have been successful, and all of them have never taken a plugged nickel of taxpayer funding. But I surely pay more than my fair share of taxes to support “other” businesses. And I know all about “livable wages.”

My employees are all long term. My secretary has been with me for more than 33 years. My manager in public relations has been with me for more than 25 years. And many other employees have more than 20 years in my employ. That means I know what it takes to keep them happy and it takes a long time to become successful, again something that inexperienced small-business guys don’t get.

I initially moved to Boulder City with my family in 1950 and was here until 1962. I returned in 2003. I moved back to Boulder City so I could offer my daughter the same childhood I had: a decent education, friends, the chance at sports and all the other opportunities to create fond memories. I own some property and buildings here and I purchased the building that houses the local bowling alley, but I am not in any businesses here in Boulder City or Nevada.

So I have no employees here. When I need work done, I hire the services of Boulder City residents, I believe in keeping “Boulder City Clean and Green.” The last time I had employees here in Nevada was in 1975 when I was part owner in the Old Drug Store Tavern in Henderson.

I would like it to be perfectly clear: I don’t take taxpayer money, but I do pay into the coffers that allow others to do so. I know how to make payroll and sufficient money to pay for the necessary expenses in businesses such as health insurance liability coverage, taxes and the assessments and I have done so for many years. With the attitude of Mr. McManus I can see why he isn’t involved in any small businesses here in Boulder City or any place else.

Leave Boulder City how you found it, clean and green, the oasis of the desert.

ACA resulted from Republican recommendations

What is the Affordable Care Act? It is the product of the recommendations from the Republican Party and the conservative Heritage Foundation. Really. It is, really. The ACA was the response from the Republican Party to HillaryCare in the 1990s. Really.

It was the position of the rock-ribbed conservatives to try and fix the abysmal state of health care in America. Cost increases for the health care run triple and quadruple ahead of the rate of other products or services in this country. The quality of care declines every year. Health care is an industry in collapse. People pay more to live shorter lives.

The government of the people, and for the people, needed to take action to stop this failure of an industry that is vital to the lives of its citizens because capitalism does fail at times. But nothing happened. For decades.

Republican President Teddy Roosevelt worked to assure the citizens of America that a service more dear than water or power companies would be available when needed at a reasonable cost. That was 1907. Really — 1907, not 2007 but 1907.

So Obamacare became the law of the land in 2010. It is not government insurance. That would be Medicare, which is a far better deal and only available to Americans 65 and older. It is the directive to insurance companies to provide the necessary level of care at competitive price to every citizen. They are private companies and not the government. Americans deserve a fair deal at a fair price.