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Thursday, Oct. 21, 1999 | 9:52 a.m.

Hoover Dam turned out to be bad trip for kids

I used to think that the Sagebrush rebellion folks were a little off base but I now suspect they are right. Some recent events in Nevada involving the feds have set me to wondering. I believe we have a federal bureaucracy run amok.

On Oct. 15 one more fed strike hit. The 4th grade students of Doris French Elementary School went on a long anticipated, well-planned field trip to Hoover Dam. They arrived at the departure point 20 minutes late and were told too bad, they were late -- unless they wanted to pay $2 each! These children were refused their tour, period. And, very rudely.

Aside from the fact that the dam pays for itself, it should be available to educational tours without such arrogance. Sure, being on time is extremely important. Were the teachers informed in advance that they had to be there exactly on the dot of 10 or lose their tour? No. Can the traffic be predicted to the minute? No. No one involved in getting this trip on the road was remiss in keeping things moving.

There are many outraged parents and sad students over this. And, let us not forget, that trip was paid for out of that school's budget, and they were wrongly denied the right to fulfill the purpose of that trip. The feds are out of touch with reality.

CATHERINE HAMMELRATH

County's action on Wal-Mart correct

The Clark County commissioners recently passed an ordinance to restrict the area devoted to food sales in large retail establishments. I thank them. The overall opinion seemed to be that these "big box" stores may very well have an unfair advantage over their competition, putting anchor grocery stores and whole shopping centers out of business, leaving these abandoned centers as a blight on neighborhoods.

The opposition was primarily made up of Wal-Mart lawyers, suits, and a variety of Wal-Mart workers who were bused in by the store. Their testimony reiterated the refrain "consumers have the right to choose."

Do I choose to save 50 cents on a product if I know that that 50 cents is coming out of the pocket of a worker who is not being paid a living wage and offered no health benefits? No! There are also allegations that Wal-Mart practices predatory pricing that should be investigated by the FTC.

When I have information that the manufacturer or retailer of a product exploits workers or the environment in order to undercut the competition I will no longer buy that brand, from any store.

Consumers need to understand we have been and are still so often "penny wise and pound foolish" when it comes to making informed choices. In the end, we will all have to pay the price for the "working uninsured" or the "working poor," just as we are paying and will continue to pay for the legacy left us by greedy and ignorant industrialists who have polluted our environment.

THERESA MORROW, R. N. Healthcare Oversight Committee chairperson, Nevada Service Employee Union

Walton heirs will never have enough

Wal-Mart does not want to put Smith's and Lucky's out of business. Wal-Mart wants to put Kmart and Sears out of business. There are six Sam Walton heirs near the top of the list of billionaires and they want to get above Bill Gates. Greed, what is more American than greed?

JIM RILEY

New millennium, Y2K not related

For some months now this layman has been disturbed by what seems to me to be a misunderstanding by the media and others of the relationship or lack of relationship as one may see it between Y2K and the new millennium.

If my understanding of the calender is correct Jan. 1, 2000 is the first day of the last year of the 20th century, hence the first day of the last year of the second millennium.

Jan. 1, 2001 is the first day of the 21st century, hence the first day of the third millennium A.D.

GEORGE W. LARSON