Letter: Democrats use Yucca issue to their advantage

Sunday, May 7, 2000 | 8:41 a.m.

But before we fall to our knees to thank President Clinton for his veto and the hard work of our illustrious Sens. Harry Reid and Richard Bryan and Rep. Shelley Berkley, I'd like to pose a question: If the Republicans are partisan on this issue, then what does that make the Democrats, of a prior session, who overwhelmingly voted to make our state the official nuke dumpsite? While many Democratic apologists have excused this as "merely voting with the interest of their respective states," I would ask, what makes the Republicans any different?

When it comes to partisan politics, why was Republican Congressman Jim Gibbons (also an opponent to this bill) not invited to the Oval Office for the photo-op of Clinton's veto along with his Democratic colleagues? I think you know the answer. This is an election year and other than making the Democrats to appear to be heroes, this veto and feel-good photo-op will do nothing to stop nuclear waste from reaching our borders by 2010.

We Nevadans need to wake up and elect new blood to represent us in Washington and put up a real fight by looking for alternative solutions for disposing of nuclear waste, which is something this administration and our Democratic representatives should have been doing rather than using Yucca Mountain as a political football for their partisan agendas.

MARK WILSON