Editorial: An independent voice

Saturday, Oct. 1, 2005 | 8:57 a.m.

Starting tomorrow the Las Vegas Sun will become a morning newspaper seven days a week, smaller in number of pages but larger in circulation, as it will be delivered with the Review-Journal to all the subscribers of both papers.

We welcome our new readers and invite them to read our editorial page, where the Sun delivers provocative yet common-sense views on the important issues of the day.

For those of you who haven't regularly read the Sun's editorial and opinion pages, we are confident you will like what you see.

Because our newspaper is locally owned and is not part of a large newspaper chain, our editorial views on local and national issues reflect those of us who live and work here. We don't parrot what some corporate executive, living thousands of miles away and who only looks at a newspaper as a profit center, wants us to say.

We understand firsthand the promise of Las Vegas and all the challenges facing us as this city strives for greatness. And, unlike some media outlets that seem bent on trying to tear down people and groups with which they disagree, we will continue to offer criticism that also identifies ways to improve all of our lives.

When we look at issues that form the basis for our editorials, we don't do so through ideological blinders. Indeed, we take a look at the facts and ask ourselves what path would be best for Las Vegas.

Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans -- or die-hard conservatives or liberals, for that matter -- hold a monopoly on solutions to the problems facing this country, state and city.

Civic issues are complex and don't have just one simple answer that can be culled from an ideology. Such an approach is trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

Take our public schools, for example. We definitely lag behind many other states in the money that education receives, and that funding needs to be increased dramatically. How can we compete in a global marketplace if our students don't have computers and access to the latest textbooks and best teaching methods? But that is only part of the solution. More discipline, longer classroom hours and greater parental involvement -- probably the linchpin to success in getting a quality education -- all are essential, too.

With respect to our editorial stand on issues, first and foremost is our commitment to liberty. Privacy rights are paramount, too. Government shouldn't be interfering in the most intimate decisions we make, including a woman's right to choose. At the same time, government must ensure that fundamental rights are preserved, and foster free enterprise by refraining from unnecessary interference.

We certainly don't have blind faith that government can solve all of society's problems.

The biggest issue facing the state of Nevada is one created by an oppressive action by the federal government -- unrelenting efforts to bury 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste inside Yucca Mountain, just 90 miles away from Las Vegas.

Yet it is essential for government to be there when people are hurt and need help. Such a time was during the Great Depression, when programs devised by President Franklin Roosevelt not only gave people hope but they also gave people enough money to feed their families. During the Hurricane Katrina disaster we saw how a woefully unprepared federal government led to needless misery and suffering.

We also need a strong government to ensure, among other things, that we have safe drinking water, clean air to breathe and a safety net guaranteeing that those who are infirm aren't discarded in this society.

Besides our own editorial positions, we will also offer a wide array of opinions, including commentaries written by nationally syndicated columnists -- a rich mix of conservative, liberal and moderate viewpoints.

Our letters to the editor section also is one in which we value all points of reason. We encourage letters from those who disagree with the newspaper's editorial stand on issues.

There will be times that opinions expressed on these pages will irritate or even anger you. But that's to be expected, particularly when we present a diverse set of views.

Obviously, many readers will read approvingly, and with great interest, the commentaries that happen to reflect their own views. But we also hope people will read those columns with which they may not necessarily agree, considering other views with an open mind.

If you happen to be a liberal, for example, we hope you will read David Brooks' columns, as he presents his thoughtful, conservative take on American politics and society.

And, for those who happen to be conservative, reading E.J. Dionne's liberal-to-moderate analyses on what is going on in government today offers extraordinary insights.

On our opinion pages we also will have local and state leaders -- from the community at large, business and government -- write about the critical issues facing the state and what they propose as solutions.

In short, we want the opinion pages to be a place where Las Vegans will turn for reasoned analysis and debate.

We have grown tired, as many of you have, of the shouting on cable television networks that attempt to pass for debate -- and which too often appear in other newspapers on their opinion pages.

If you want to read a newspaper opinion section that truly believes in being open-minded, and will offer ideas that will make this city and this nation a better place, then you'll enjoy the Las Vegas Sun.

Welcome.