Letters

Vegas should dump 'What happens' slogan

It's early November, but I don't believe it's too early for a much-needed New Year's resolution for our fine city. I propose we ban the ubiquitously annoying phrase "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" and all variations thereof (Cheetahs, Palms, I'm looking at you).

However, to prove there are no hard feelings toward the marketing genius behind this campaign, I will even summit the final entry: What happens in Vegas while you are coked up in your unbuttoned shiny shirt while some stripper relieves you of last week's paycheck, stays in Vegas.

--David Carlisle

Stem cell treatment same as cannibalism

Much has been said about stem-cell research, which isn't a permanent cure. Whomever receives the injection must do so again and again, just like food. Christopher Reeve's own doctor said this alone would not have made him walk.

If this treatment is legalized, sooner or later a woman will become deliberately pregnant so she may sell her fetus to the highest bidder. Where is the ethics in that? What have we become as a nation if our women are selling their unborn babies for lab use?

The same arguments used for legalizing abortion are being used again, that is, "it's not really a life." Yet a new law was passed saying Laci Peterson's unborn child (who was murdered) was a life. Which is it?

Call stem cell treatment what you want. I call it cannibalism.

--Steve Zimmer

Do your part to support animal shelters

Nov. 7-13 is National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, a time for people to recognize the local agencies that care for the estimated 6-8 million relinquished, abandoned, lost or injured animals who pass through their doors each year.

You can help make a difference in tackling this problem. Don't allow your pets to roam alone outside and ensure they wear identification at all times in case they do get lost. Spay or neuter your pets, which benefits their health and behavior, and has a direct impact on pet overpopulation. And address behavior issues before they break the bond between you and your pet.

You can also directly show your appreciation for the services local shelters provide. If you're thinking of adding a furry friend to your family, your shelter should be your first stop. And volunteering your time is a great way to help the homeless animals in your community. For more ideas or to find your local shelter, visit the Humane Society of the United States website at www.hsus.org.

--Eric Sakach,

Humane Society of the United States

Homeless people work and deserve respect

I'm writing regarding some of your recent articles about the homeless people in Las Vegas. I am a homeless person myself, and I'm not ashamed to say it. I do try to take good care of myself when it comes to hygiene, because I know how society views homeless people. They think we are all the same: don't want to work, and we are always dirty and smelling. Well, they are wrong. There are many homeless people who do work when we are able to, including myself, and there are many homeless people who are very clean.

We work for $5.15 an hour. We go to temp services and they exploit the homeless people. They use us and they get paid three or four times the money when they send a person to a job site. As long as we make money for them, everything is okay, but when we get hurt on a job, we are nothing but dirt to them. We have no money to fight them, so they win on workers' comp. Yet we still go back to work for them because our cries are not heard by society.

Many of us are dying out here on these streets of Las Vegas, because of the corruption in City Hall and in these homeless shelters that are nothing but a front. They are putting millions of dollars in their pockets, money that was donated to help the homeless people.The shelters are feeding us beans seven days a week and there's stuff in bowls that nobody knows what it is.

So, residents of Las Vegas, don't judge if you haven't been there. I truly suggest that you leave the comfort of your home for a week and go to these shelters for a hands-on experience, and you will see what we go through and the disrespect toward us.

God bless you. I don't hate you, I'm just giving a little insight.

--Henry Freeman